nuance
NOO-ahnsnounMeaning a subtle difference in meaning, feeling or tone
Memory hook NEW-ANCE: one tiny NEW shade. Nell mixes seven blues for the sky, each just one drop lighter than the last. Each tiny shade of difference is a nuance.
A good actor can show a dozen nuances of sadness with just her eyes.
In context The translation was accurate but flat; it lost every nuance of the poem, the gentle teasing and the sadness hidden in its last line.
Similar shade, subtlety, fine distinction, hint
From French nuance, “a shade of color,” from nuer (to shade), related to Latin nubes (cloud).