alterar

/aɫ.tɨ.ˈɾaɾ/

//aɫ.tɨ.ˈɾaɾ// verb

The verdict

“alterar” is a regularly-used Portuguese word, ranked #5,593 in Portuguese word frequency and used as a verb.

#5,593
frequency rank, Portuguese
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - tornar diferente em algum aspecto como tamanho, peso, estilo, etc

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

alterar vs atear
71% similar
alterar vs altura
71% similar
alterar vs atirar
71% similar

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

Key facts for alterar
PropertyValue
Headwordalterar
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechVerb
IPA/aɫ.tɨ.ˈɾaɾ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#5,593
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “alterar” 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). alterar 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 alterar is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /aɫ.tɨ.ˈɾaɾ/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,593 in overall Portuguese word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for alterar, with forms such as "aletrar", "allterar", and "altearr". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 12 confusable-pair relationships, "atear", "altura", "atirar", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct Portuguese form is alterar, spelled A-L-T-E-R-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    tornar diferente em algum aspecto como tamanho, peso, estilo, etc
  2. 2
    perder a serenidade

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: aletrar,allterar,altearr,alterarr,alterra,alterrar,altrear,altterar,atlerar,laterar

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of alterar - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

aletrar2allterar1altearr2alterarr1alterra2alterrar1altrear2altterar1
Edit distance from "alterar"

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 "alterar"?
"alterar" is spelled A-L-T-E-R-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /aɫ.tɨ.ˈɾaɾ/.
What does "alterar" mean?
As a verb, "alterar" means: tornar diferente em algum aspecto como tamanho, peso, estilo, etc
What words are commonly confused with "alterar"?
"alterar" is commonly confused with "atear", "altura", "atirar". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "alterar"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "alterar" is /aɫ.tɨ.ˈɾaɾ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "alterar" come from?
"alterar" is a Portuguese word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “alterar”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is A-L-T-E-R-A-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /aɫ.tɨ.ˈɾaɾ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “atear” - see the side-by-side comparison. alterar vs atear
  • 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