Words / B2

NUL/nʌl/

Null means having no legal or statistical force, or containing nothing: a null result; null and void. Empty is everyday for containers; invalid is close for documents. State the null hypothesis before you collect data. Mix-up: nullify is the verb (already elsewhere); dull is boring. Do not write null for “a low but real score”.

Meaning

Having no legal or statistical force; containing nothing (a null result; null and void).

Examples

• “State the null hypothesis before you collect data, the methods tutor said.”
• “The unsigned form is null and void, which is the legal sense.”

Good to know

a null hypothesis / result; null and void. Verb: nullify. Everyday empty: empty. Trap: dull. Statistics and law. No effect or no force, not “a bit weak”.

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