Confusing Words Clarified: Group N; Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs, Synonyms, Polysemes, etc. +

(lists of "N" sections that are organized into what for some people are confusing groups of words)

If you have any problems understanding the pronunciation symbols, go to this Pronunciation Chart for clarifications.

nauseated, nauseous
nauseated (NAW zee ayt'd, NAW zhee ayt'd, NAW see ayt'd, NAW shee ayt'd)
To have felt very upset; to have had an upset stomach causing someone to feel like vomiting: "He was feeling weak and nauseated after smelling the rotten garbage."

"I felt very nauseated after eating the tainted meat."

nauseous (NAW shuhs, NAW zee uhs)
Causing severe upset or disgust. "When I smelled the bilge in the engine room of the ship, it caused a nauseous feeling in my stomach."

"When we saw the way the animals were being treated, it made us feel nauseous."

She became nauseated during the afternoon after having breathed the nauseous fumes from the factory all day.

naval, navel
naval (NAY vuhl)
Relating to ships and shipping or especifically to military ships: "She wore a sharp naval style blazer when she went sailing with her friends."

"As part of our waterfront tour, we visited the naval ships which were in the harbor."

navel (NAY vuhl)
The indentation or bump on the abdomen marking the spot where the umbilicus was attached: "When my sister was young and feeling adventurous, she had her navel pierced and now she wears a small ring through it."

Don't confuse your navel or "belly button" with the naval sailors, and other related personnel, who serve their country on ships and other sea-going transportation vessels.

nay; nee, née; neigh
nay (NAY)
A negative answer or response: "When the vote was called, the choice was to shout yea! or nay!"

"He was determined to vote nay when the question on the ballot came up."

"We had six nay votes and twelve yea votes; so, the measure passed."

nee, née (NAY)
A term of reference to identify a woman's surname name prior to marriage: "The announcement in the newspaper identified her as Mary Brown, née Mary Smith."
neigh (NAY)
The vocal sound made by a horse: "My horse was heard to neigh happily when I gave her an apple."

"We heard a distant neigh from the horse in the stable."

Nay, Nay, Nay the horse was heard to neigh: "My rider is Mrs. Smith, née Miss Jones."

negligent, negligible
negligent (NEG li juhnt)
Careless attention to one's duties or responsibilities: "His negligent attitude towards getting to work on time was noted by his supervisor."
negligible (NEG li juh buhl)
So small as to be unimportant or of no consequence: "The crack in the mirror appeared to be a negligible detail in the murder investigation."

The accountant reported that a negligible amount was missing in the bank's books. She could not bring herself to be negligent and not report it to the bank officials.

nom de plume, pen name, pseudonym
nom de plume (nahm" duh PLOOM)
A name under which authors write which is not their real name: "Mark Twain is the nom de plume for the author Samuel Clement who wrote stories about boys living on the Mississippi River."
pen name (PEN naym")
The name an author assumes which is not the author's real name: "Some women authors in the 1800's used a masculine pen name instead of their own."
pseudonym (SOOD n im")
A false or fictitious name: "The famous highwayman used a pseudonym so he would not be recognized when he was talking with people at the inn."

The elegant and noble chevalier wrote critical essays under his nom de plume. He thought it was safer to write under a foreign sounding pen name than to attempt to write under a readily recognizable pseudonym.

none, nun
none (NUHN)
Not any; no such thing; not at all: "There were none of my favorite chocolates left in the box."

"There were none like him when it came to being able to swim underwater for a long period of time."

"It is none too soon to begin the long drive home."

nun (NUHN)
A female individual belonging to a religious group or order: "Her sister was a nun who lived in seclusion and translated religious writings."

She has none of the ingredients for the recipe which was given to her by Sister Benedict, a nun famous for her culinary skills.

nose, knows, noes
nose (NOHZ) (noun)
1. The part of the human face or the forward part of the head of other vertebrates that contains the nostrils and organs of smell and forms the beginning of the respiratory tract: "The nose is capable of perceiving a variety of odors."
2. To discover, to look around, to inquire: "The private agent decided to nose around in the library, looking for information about his client."
3. The front end of something: "The nose of the rocket was painted black and white."
knows (NOHZ) (verb)
Perceiving directly; grasping in the mind with clarity or certainty: "He knows very well that he should not be acting like that."
noes (NOHZ) (noun)
Negative responses; denials or refusals; negative votes: "The majority of the people stressed their noes for the proposal."

The woman's nose makes sure that she knows when she should consider the safety noes about certain potentially dangerous odors.

A nose is a feature that lies in the middle of the face because it's the scenter.

A negativist is what a man is when he noes or no's a lot.

—Evan Esar

Cyrano's proboscis is wise because his nose knows and there shouldn't be any noes about it.

nougat, nugget
nougat (NOO guht)
A sweet confection which includes nuts and fruit, often chewy: "My favorite nougat is made with cranberries and pistachio nuts."
nugget (NUHG it)
A solid lump of something, typically associated with gold or other valuable metals: "The gold miner discovered a nugget of gold as big as his thumb."

He found a nugget of solid chocolate fudge in the nougat bar that he bought.

nuance, nuisance
nuance (NOO ans", NYOO ans")
A subtle or slight degree of difference, as in meaning, feeling, or tone; a gradation: "The story had very little depth and nuance."

"A nuance is a shade of feeling or meaning, a subtle variation; as when a poem expresses different nuances of feelings."

nuisance (NOO suhns, NYOO suhns)
Someone or something that is inconvenient, annoying, or vexatious; a bother: "Having to stand so long in line to get on an airplane is a real nuisance."

"That noisy disruptive child was always a big nuisance when his mother took him shopping with her."

It is such a nuisance having to explain the nuance of a story to the listener who does not understand Celtic mythology.

number, number
number (NUM buhr) (noun)
A figure, symbol, or word used in calculating quantities of individual things: "Roland was counting one number at a time in order to calculate how many items were lost during the rain storm."
number (NUM uhr) (adjective)
Being unable or only partially able to feel sensation or pain; deadened or anesthetized more than previously: "The gums around Bill's teeth were number than they were ten minutes before."

Rosetta didn't have any more words to say because her mind had a tendency to grow number with each additional effort; besides, after a number of injections, her jaw also became number.

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