To my Hispanic ears, "n---o" sounds like an Anglophone saying "black". Even when used derogatorily, my immediate first thought is that they pronounced it incorrectly, then the rest of the associated matters kick in and I realize what they are really saying.

Imagine if in the Hispanosphere , the word "black" was almost synonymous with the n-word.

But yeah, don't use n---o in English to refer to or describe anyone.