nnvsnonoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: nn is a adverb, nono is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“nn” is an adverb and “nono” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#37,935
“nn” frequency rank
#14,415
“nono” frequency rank
52350
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nn nono
Definition não refere-se àquele que ocupa a posição nove em uma série; o que vem depois do oitavo

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nn and nono apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

2 ch
nn
4 ch
nono

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: nn is anadverb and nonoanadjective. On the page they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52350, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nn is recorded at frequency rank #37,935, classified as anadv. nono is at rank #14,415, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈno.nu/.

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 52350, this pair ranks #12,818 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of nn vs nono

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

"nn" · 2 letters · shape CC  ·  "nono" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • nononnono · nnoo · nonno · onno

Frequency comparison

nn#37,935
nono#14,415

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nn" and "nono" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "nn" is an adverb and "nono" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "nn" or "nono"?
"nono" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,415 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.

Remembering nn vs nono

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “nn”; for an adjective, it's “nono”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nn” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list