No or Not

No

Used to deny something, or to answer a question in the negative. It’s often used before a noun that has no article or other determiner.

Examples: Do you have any pets? No, I don’t. · No dogs are allowed in the restaurant.

Not

Used to make a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause negative. It’s often used in contractions, like isn’t, don’t, can’t, etc.

Examples: I am not a doctor. · They are not going to the party.

Key Point

“No” pairs with a bare noun (no article): no problem, no idea, no way. “Not” pairs with everything else: a verb, an adjective, or a noun that already has an article or another determiner (not a doctor, not my type).

With Nouns

“No” goes before a noun with no article or determiner: “There’s no address on the envelope.” “Not” goes with any other phrase or clause: “It’s not often that you stop and think about the way you breathe.” A common mistake is using “no” instead of “not” with a noun that already has an article, or vice versa.

In Responses

We use “no” to answer a yes-no question, or to agree with a negative statement. We don’t use “not” on its own this way — a common mistake is saying “Not, you’re right” instead of “No, you’re right.”

In Fixed Expressions

Some set phrases just take one or the other: “no problem,” “no good,” “not worth.” A common mistake is swapping them, like saying “not problem” instead of “no problem.”

In Negative Sentences

“Not” negates a verb when used as an adverb, while “no” means “not any” when used as a determiner. A common mistake is using “no” instead of “not” to negate a verb, or vice versa.

Choose the correct word to complete each sentence, then check your answers.