ad hoc

/ˈad ˈɔk/

//ˈad ˈɔk// phrase

The verdict

“ad hoc” is uncommon Portuguese (outside the top frequency list), classed as a phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency Portuguese
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - locução latina, usada sobretudo no meio jurídico e acadêmico, significando que uma pessoa ou situação age ou ocorre em um determinado ato, e apenas naquele caso, sem que seja a pessoa ou fato previ...

Key facts for ad hoc
PropertyValue
Headwordad hoc
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechPhrase
IPA/ˈad ˈɔk/
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ad hoc” sits in Portuguese frequency

ad hoc 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.

Rare enough to double-check

ad hoc is uncommon Portuguese outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase, transcribed /ˈad ˈɔk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for ad hoc, a sign its spelling follows regular Portuguese conventions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct Portuguese form is ad hoc, spelled A-D- -H-O-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    locução latina, usada sobretudo no meio jurídico e acadêmico, significando que uma pessoa ou situação age ou ocorre em um determinado ato, e apenas naquele caso, sem que seja a pessoa ou fato previsto legalmente (como v. g.: advogado ad hoc, secretário ad hoc, domicílio ad hoc, etc.)
  2. 2
    hipótese que, sem ter comprovação, é usada para validar ou completar uma tese
  3. 3
    qualificador de regra, norma ou enunciado cujo uso dá-se em determinado caso, não se aplicando a outros
  4. 4
    termo comumente utilizado para designar sistemas de rede, de funcionamento de programas, etc., que servem para uma finalidade restrita e específica

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 "ad hoc"?
"ad hoc" is spelled A-D- -H-O-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈad ˈɔk/.
What does "ad hoc" mean?
As a phrase, "ad hoc" means: locução latina, usada sobretudo no meio jurídico e acadêmico, significando que uma pessoa ou situação age ou ocorre em um determinado ato, e apenas naquele caso, sem que seja a pessoa ou fato previ...
How do you pronounce "ad hoc"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ad hoc" is /ˈad ˈɔk/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ad hoc" come from?
"ad hoc" 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 “ad hoc”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is A-D- -H-O-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈad ˈɔk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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