a não ser

phrase

The verdict

“a não ser” is outside the top-ranked Portuguese vocabulary, used as a phrase - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency Portuguese
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - locução prepositiva de natureza adversativa, para enfatizar uma ideia contrária à precedente

Key facts for a não ser
PropertyValue
Headworda não ser
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechPhrase
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “a não ser” sits in Portuguese frequency

a não ser falls outside the top-100,000 ranked Portuguese words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The Portuguese entry for a não ser is 9 letters long, classified as a phrase. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "locução prepositiva de natureza adversativa, para enfatizar uma ideia contrária à precedente".

No misspelling variants are generated for a não ser in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct Portuguese form is a não ser, spelled A- -N-Ã-O- -S-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    locução prepositiva de natureza adversativa, para enfatizar uma ideia contrária à precedente

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "a não ser"?
"a não ser" is spelled A- -N-Ã-O- -S-E-R.
What does "a não ser" mean?
As a phrase, "a não ser" means: locução prepositiva de natureza adversativa, para enfatizar uma ideia contrária à precedente
What language does "a não ser" come from?
"a não ser" 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 não ser”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is A- -N-Ã-O- -S-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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