Nobody, No one, None Difference & Examples

In this post you will learn the difference between nobody, no one and none. “Nobody,” “no one,” and “none” are indefinite pronouns that are used to express the absence of someone or something in English. However, each of these words has a slightly different meaning and usage:

☛”Nobody” refers to a person who is not present or does not exist. “Nobody” is a singular pronoun, and so the singular form “does” is required. For example, “Nobody likes his last book.“, ” Nobody does it better than my mom.”

Remember: Singular objects requires singular verbs.  Singular verbs: Is, was, has, does, walks, talks, runs, knows etc.

☛”No one” is similar in meaning to “nobody,” but it is more formal and is used more often in written English. “No one” is also a singular pronoun , and the singular form “does” is required. For example, “No one knows the answer.“, “I love you, like no one does.”

☛”None” is used to refer to the absence of something. “None” can be both singular and plural pronoun in a sentence. In most cases it is treated as a singular noun. For example, “None of the cookies are left.“(plural), “None of your advice was useful.” (singular), “Master of none”

In general, “nobody” is the most informal and “no one” is the most formal of the three. “None” is the most neutral and can be used in both formal and informal settings. When choosing between these words, consider the formality and context of your writing or speaking.

☛Don’t use nobody, no one, nothing after -no, -not, -never or other words with negative meaning.

Instead of them use -anyone, -anybody, -anything, -anywhere:

For example we can’t say “He talks to hardly no one.”, we can say “He hardly talks to anyone.” You can’t do nothing” is wrong, it should be “You can’t do anything.”

Check Also:
Difference Between Above and Over ✔️
Very Useful Basic English Sentences (PDF)
500+ English Verbs List (V1 V2 V3 Verb Forms)

Example Sentences with “nobody,” “no one,” and “none”

Here are some example sentences using “nobody,” “no one,” and “none”:

1. “Nobody showed up for the meeting.”

2. “No one has ever climbed that mountain.”

3. “None of the stores had the item I was looking for.”

4. “Nobody knows how to solve this problem.”

5. “No one wants to go to the beach on a rainy day.”

6. “None of the books on the shelf were interesting.”

7. “Nobody wants to be alone on Valentine’s Day.”

8. “No one has ever seen a man in this house.”

9. “None of the eggs were fresh at the grocery store.”

In each sentence, “nobody” refers to people, “no one” refers to people, and “none” refers to things or objects.