nor'-nor'-west vs north-northwest

nor'-nor'-west is a noun but north-northwest is not a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
nor'-nor'-west	Yes	No	No	Yes
north-northwest	No	No	No	Yes

As adverbs, nor'-nor'-west and north-northwest are synonyms defined as:

nor'-nor'-west and north-northwest: to, toward, or in the north-northwest

nor'-nor'-west (noun)	north-northwest (noun)
the compass point that is midway between north and northwest

nor'-nor'-west (adverb)	north-northwest (adverb)
to, toward, or in the north-northwest	to, toward, or in the north-northwest