ancient

/ˈeɪnʃənt/.

//ˈeɪnʃənt/./ noun

The verdict

“ancient” is an uncommon Portuguese word, ranked #71,489 in Portuguese word frequency and used as a noun.

#71,489
frequency rank, Portuguese
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - uma pessoa que é muito velha ou que viveu nos tempos antigos.

Key facts for ancient
PropertyValue
Headwordancient
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈeɪnʃənt/.
Letters7
Frequency rank#71,489
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ancient” 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). ancient 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 ancient is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈeɪnʃənt/.. Corpus data places it at rank #71,489 in overall Portuguese word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for ancient, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct Portuguese form is ancient, spelled A-N-C-I-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    uma pessoa que é muito velha ou que viveu nos tempos antigos.
  2. 2
    bandeira, estandarte ou insígnia.

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 "ancient"?
"ancient" is spelled A-N-C-I-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈeɪnʃənt/..
What does "ancient" mean?
As a noun, "ancient" means: uma pessoa que é muito velha ou que viveu nos tempos antigos.
How do you pronounce "ancient"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ancient" is /ˈeɪnʃənt/.. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ancient" come from?
"ancient" 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 “ancient”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is A-N-C-I-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈeɪnʃənt/. (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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list