Which to use
“né” is a verb and “non” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,856
- “né” frequency rank
- #6,793
- “non” frequency rank
- 8649
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | né | non |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | particípio passado do verbo naitre | não |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set né and non 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: né is averb and nonanadverb. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8649, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
né is recorded at frequency rank #1,856, classified as averb. non is at rank #6,793, tagged as anadv.
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 8649, this pair ranks #65,055 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of né vs non
Shared letters: n. Private to "né": é. Private to "non": o.
"né" · 2 letters · shape CV · "non" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "né" and "non" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "né" or "non"?
Remembering né vs non
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “né”; for an adverb, it's “non”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “né” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable