nn vs num, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#37,935
“nn” frequency rank: #234
“num” frequency rank: 38169
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	nn	num
Definition	não	o mesmo que não

Letter map: nn vs num

Shared letters muted; letters that set nn and num apart highlighted. Shared run: 1.

2 ch

3 ch

num

Pair insight - nn / num

nn and num 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 38169, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nn is recorded at frequency rank #37,935, classified as anadv. num is at rank #234, 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 38169, this pair ranks #28,335 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of nn vs num

Shared letters: n. Private to "nn": -. Private to "num": mu.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "nn" and "num" 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.

Frequency check: "nn" vs "num" - which ranks higher?

"num" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #234 in our Portuguese list, against #37,935 for "nn". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

Pair "nn" vs "num" 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 "num" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
This pair ranks #28,335 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
"nn" and "num" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nn vs noon". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #28,335 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.