nn vs non, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“nn” and “non” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#37,935
“nn” frequency rank: #6,793
“non” frequency rank: 44728
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	nn	non
Definition	não	não

Letter map: nn vs non

Shared letters muted; letters that set nn and non apart highlighted. Shared run: 2.

2 ch

3 ch

non

Corpus notes: nn and non

nn and non are indexed as a confusable Portuguese pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44728, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nn is recorded at frequency rank #37,935, classified as anadv. 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 44728, this pair ranks #20,700 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of nn vs non

Shared letters: n. Private to "nn": -. Private to "non": o.

"nn" · 2 letters · shape CC · "non" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "nn" and "non" mean the same thing in a sentence?

No. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.

Which is more common, "nn" or "non"?

"non" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,793 in our Portuguese list, against #37,935 for "nn". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pair "nn" vs "non" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.

Full dictionary entry for "nn" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
Full dictionary entry for "non" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
This pair ranks #20,700 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
"nn" and "non" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nn vs noon". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #20,700 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.