Which to use
“não” is an adverb and “ni” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11
- “não” frequency rank
- #8,234
- “ni” frequency rank
- 8245
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | não | ni |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | usado para negar verbos e adjetivos | nós, pronome da segunda pessoa do plural |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set não and ni apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: não is anadverb and niapronoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8245, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
não is recorded at frequency rank #11, classified as anadv, pronounced /ˈnɐ̃w̃/. ni is at rank #8,234, tagged as apron.
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 8245, this pair ranks #65,610 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of não vs ni
Shared letters: n. Private to "não": oã. Private to "ni": i.
"não" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "ni" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "não" and "ni" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "não" or "ni"?
Remembering não vs ni
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “não”; for a pronoun, it's “ni”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “não” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable