Nana vs. Nanna
“Nana” and “nanna” are both established informal family words for a grandmother. Collins lists nan, nana, and nanna in British English, so the choice is usually a family, regional, or personal spelling preference rather than a difference in meaning.
Both “nana” and “nanna” are established spellings for an informal word meaning grandmother. Use the spelling your family, person, or publication consistently prefers.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| informal family word for grandmother | nana | Established spelling variant. |
| informal family word for grandmother | nanna | Established spelling variant. |
| a particular person’s chosen family name or title | their established spelling | Preserve the person/family form instead of “correcting” it to the other variant. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you referring to a particular person whose family already uses one spelling?
If yes: Use that established spelling consistently.
If no: If there is no established personal form, either dictionary-listed variant can be chosen consistently.
Caveat: This is a variant-family-word choice, not a rule that one spelling is universally correct and the other universally wrong.
Examples
Nana is visiting this weekend.
“Nana” can be used as the established family form.
We are taking Nanna out for lunch.
“Nanna” is also an established spelling for the family word.
Her card is signed “Love, Nana,” so the profile preserves that spelling.
Personal naming practice should not be overwritten merely to force the other variant.
Further guidance
Boundary
Do not “correct” a person’s established family name purely to force one dictionary-listed variant over another.
Choice
Use “nana” or “nanna” consistently when it is the established family or personal form.
Meaning
Both forms can function as an informal child/family word for a grandmother.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Nan definition and meaning (opens in a new tab)HarperCollins Publishers · Current dictionary evidence that British nan, nana, and nanna are child/family words for grandmother