A

/a/

//a// adj

The verdict

“A” is in the everyday core of Portuguese, ranked #2 in Portuguese word frequency and used as an adjective.

#2
frequency rank, Portuguese
1
letter
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - assinala o primeiro elemento de uma série na qual estes são distinguidos e ordenados em uma sequência alfabética

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

A vs As
50% similar
A vs ao
0% similar
A vs ar
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for A
PropertyValue
HeadwordA
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/a/
Letters1
Frequency rank#2
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “A” sits in Portuguese frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). A lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The Portuguese entry for A is 1 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /a/. Corpus data places it at rank #2 in overall Portuguese word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for A in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable Portuguese rules. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "As", "ao", "ar", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct Portuguese form is A, spelled A.

Definition

  1. 1
    assinala o primeiro elemento de uma série na qual estes são distinguidos e ordenados em uma sequência alfabética
  2. 2
    assinala qualidade superior, muita importância ou um alto valor monetário
  3. 3
    assinala, na escala socioeconômica, a classe social mais elevada em relação ao poder aquisitivo

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 Portuguese corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "A"?
"A" is spelled A. The IPA pronunciation is /a/.
What does "A" mean?
As an adjective, "A" means: assinala o primeiro elemento de uma série na qual estes são distinguidos e ordenados em uma sequência alfabética
What words are commonly confused with "A"?
"A" is commonly confused with "As", "ao", "ar". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "A"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "A" is /a/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "A" come from?
"A" is a Portuguese word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “A”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /a/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “As” - see the side-by-side comparison. A vs As
  • Browse more Portuguese words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Portuguese words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list