animal

/ˌɐ.ni.ˈmaw/

//ˌɐ.ni.ˈmaw// adj

The verdict

“animal” is a regularly-used Portuguese word, ranked #1,697 in Portuguese word frequency and used as an adjective.

#1,697
frequency rank, Portuguese
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - característico de um animal

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

animal vs anual
67% similar
animal vs ânimo
50% similar
animal vs animar
83% similar

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

Key facts for animal
PropertyValue
Headwordanimal
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌɐ.ni.ˈmaw/
Letters6
Frequency rank#1,697
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “animal” 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). animal 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 animal is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌɐ.ni.ˈmaw/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,697 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 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for animal, with forms such as "ainmal", "aniaml", and "animall". 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 8 confusable-pair relationships, "anual", "ânimo", "animar", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct Portuguese form is animal, spelled A-N-I-M-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    característico de um animal
  2. 2
    brutal, irracional

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ainmal,aniaml,animall,animla,animmal,anmial,annimal,naimal

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of animal - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ainmal2aniaml2animall1animla2animmal1anmial2annimal1naimal2
Edit distance from "animal"

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 "animal"?
"animal" is spelled A-N-I-M-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɐ.ni.ˈmaw/.
What does "animal" mean?
As an adjective, "animal" means: característico de um animal
What words are commonly confused with "animal"?
"animal" is commonly confused with "anual", "ânimo", "animar". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "animal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "animal" is /ˌɐ.ni.ˈmaw/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "animal" come from?
"animal" 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 “animal”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is A-N-I-M-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌɐ.ni.ˈmaw/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “anual” - see the side-by-side comparison. animal vs anual
  • 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