namvsnunWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: nam is a pronoun, nun is an adverb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“nam” is a pronoun and “nun” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#18,396
“nam” frequency rank
#39,280
“nun” frequency rank
57676
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nam nun
Definition caso dativo do pronome pessoal my agora, neste momento:

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nam and nun apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
nam
3 ch
nun

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: nam is apronoun and nunanadverb. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57676, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nam is recorded at frequency rank #18,396, classified as apron. nun is at rank #39,280, tagged as anadv, pronounced /ˈnuːn/.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 57676, this pair ranks #9,187 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of nam vs nun

Shared letters: n. Private to "nam": am. Private to "nun": u.

"nam" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "nun" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

nam#18,396
nun#39,280

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nam" and "nun" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "nam" is a pronoun and "nun" an adverb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "nam" or "nun"?
"nam" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,396 in our Portuguese list, against #39,280 for "nun". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering nam vs nun

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a pronoun, it's “nam”; for an adverb, it's “nun”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nam” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list