ai

/aj/

//aj// intj

The verdict

“ai” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #1,090) as an interjection. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#1,090
frequency rank, Portuguese
4,352
“A” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - expressa dor física ou sentimental

Corpus desk

Index PT-ai · ai · Portuguese

ai · rank #1,090 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,090
  • LEN-SHORT 2 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,352
  • PHOTO-FINISH usado

Nearest frequency peer: usado (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “ai”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “ai” sits against the nearest ranked Portuguese headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

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

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

Key facts for ai
PropertyValue
Headwordai
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechInterjection
IPA/aj/
Letters2
Frequency rank#1,090
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ai” 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). ai lands here:

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

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

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for ai is neighbouring look-alikes ("As", "ao", …), not just typos; it is aninterjection pronounced /aj/. Frequency #1,090 among 4,352 “A” headwords. 2 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for ai, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. 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.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct Portuguese form is ai, spelled A-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    expressa dor física ou sentimental
  2. 2
    expressa desespero

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how ai appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Entre o sexo: a loucura a morte; romance
  2. Uma barata! Ai, uma barata!

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); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 Portuguese corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ai"?
"ai" is spelled A-I. The IPA pronunciation is /aj/.
What does "ai" mean?
As an interjection, "ai" means: expressa dor física ou sentimental
What words are commonly confused with "ai"?
"ai" 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 "ai"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ai" is /aj/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ai" come from?
"ai" 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.
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