Lexical items concluding with the digraph “nu” are relatively uncommon in English. Examples such as “menu” and “venu” (a hunting term) demonstrate this scarcity. Loanwords, particularly from Romance languages, contribute to this small subset of vocabulary. The digraph’s phonetic representation, a nasalized vowel followed by a voiced labiodental approximant, is not a common sound combination in native English words.
Understanding the distribution and etymology of such words can offer insights into the evolution and influences on the English lexicon. While the limited number of such terms might suggest minimal practical significance, their presence contributes to the richness and diversity of the language. Examining these words offers a glimpse into the historical interplay between English and other languages, particularly those contributing loanwords.