Which to use
“não” is an adverb and “nu” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11
- “não” frequency rank
- #5,663
- “nu” frequency rank
- 5674
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | não | nu |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | usado para negar verbos e adjetivos | despido, em pelo, sem roupas |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set não and nu apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: não is /ˈnɐ̃w̃/ while nu is /ˈnu/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5674, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
não is recorded at frequency rank #11, classified as anadv, pronounced /ˈnɐ̃w̃/. nu is at rank #5,663, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈnu/.
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 5674, this pair ranks #68,901 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of não vs nu
Shared letters: n. Private to "não": oã. Private to "nu": u.
"não" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "nu" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "não" and "nu" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "não" or "nu"?
Remembering não vs nu
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “não”; for an adjective, it's “nu”.
- 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