nonvsnumWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,793
“non” frequency rank
#234
“num” frequency rank
7027
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature non num
Definition não o mesmo que não

Letter map: non vs num

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

3 ch
non
3 ch
num

Spelling & dictionary notes on non vs num

non 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7027, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

non is recorded at frequency rank #6,793, 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 7027, this pair ranks #67,222 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of non vs num

Shared letters: n. Private to "non": o. Private to "num": mu.

"non" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "num" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "non" and "num" be used interchangeably?
No. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.
Frequency check: "non" vs "num" - which ranks higher?
"num" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #234 in our Portuguese list, against #6,793 for "non". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "non" and "num".

  • Full dictionary entry for "non" 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 #67,222 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "non" and "num" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "non vs noon". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #67,222 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list