aba

/ˈa.bɐ/

//ˈa.bɐ// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“aba” is a moderately-common Portuguese word, ranked #15,719 in Portuguese word frequency and used as a noun.

#15,719
frequency rank, Portuguese
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - parte saliente da beira das vestimentas, ou outros materiais de pano, para uso das pessoas, tais como vestido, paletó, toldo etc

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

aba vs As
0% similar
aba vs ao
33% similar
aba vs ar
33% similar

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

Key facts for aba
PropertyValue
Headwordaba
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈa.bɐ/
Letters3
Frequency rank#15,719
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “aba” 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). aba 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 aba is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈa.bɐ/. Corpus data places it at rank #15,719 in overall Portuguese word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 15 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for aba, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable Portuguese rules. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "As", "ao", "ar", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct Portuguese form is aba, spelled A-B-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    parte saliente da beira das vestimentas, ou outros materiais de pano, para uso das pessoas, tais como vestido, paletó, toldo etc
  2. 2
    borda de um chapéu
  3. 3
    margem, beira, costa que limita um mar, rio ou lago
  4. 4
    extremidade ou parte saliente em obras de carpintaria, alvenaria, serralheria etc; em geral, trata-se de prolongamento de tampo de móveis (mesas etc), geralmente que se pode dobrar, e ligado ao móvel por dobras pequenas
  5. 5
    qualquer prolongamento de telhado além da prumada das paredes
  6. 6
    elemento gráfico que representa um conjunto de dados cuja exibição está vinculada a uma área adjacente
  7. 7
    parte saliente de uma embalagem (caixa etc)
  8. 8
    parte saliente de um envelope
  9. 9
    duas partes salientes de uma fralda
  10. 10
    duas partes salientes de um absorvente feminino
  11. 11
    extremidade de capa e/ou sobrecapa de um livro, dobrada para dentro, em geral com texto impresso; serve para separar o texto em leitura
  12. 12
    beiras de um gargalo
  13. 13
    parte saliente de uma ficha de arquivo, para identificar o seu conteúdo
  14. 14
    parte saliente de uma pasta suspensa, para identificar o seu conteúdo
  15. 15
    parte inferior de uma montanha

Synonyms

bordarebordobeirabordaorlabeiradabeiradobeiralguiaseparadororelha

This word in other languages

flap(English)falda(Español)pan(Français)Hutkrempe(Deutsch)

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 "aba"?
"aba" is spelled A-B-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈa.bɐ/.
What does "aba" mean?
As a noun, "aba" means: parte saliente da beira das vestimentas, ou outros materiais de pano, para uso das pessoas, tais como vestido, paletó, toldo etc
What words are commonly confused with "aba"?
"aba" 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 "aba"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "aba" is /ˈa.bɐ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "aba" come from?
"aba" is a Portuguese word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “aba”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is A-B-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈa.bɐ/ (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. aba 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