Which to use
“nem” and “nun” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #121
- “nem” frequency rank
- #39,280
- “nun” frequency rank
- 39401
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nem | nun |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | não | agora, neste momento: |
Where the eye mixes nem and nun
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. nem and nun follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses nem with nun
A purely visual mix-up. nem (/ˈnɐ̃j̃/) and nun (/ˈnuːn/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39401, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nem is recorded at frequency rank #121, classified as anadv, pronounced /ˈnɐ̃j̃/. 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 39401, this pair ranks #26,866 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of nem vs nun
Shared letters: n. Private to "nem": em. Private to "nun": u.
"nem" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "nun" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "nem" and "nun" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "nem" vs "nun" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "nem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nun" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #26,866 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nem" and "nun" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "noon vs nun". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #26,866 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.