bom velhinho

/ˈbõ veˈʎĩ.ɲu/ [ˈbõ veˈʎĩ.j̃u]

//ˈbõ veˈʎĩ.ɲu/ [ˈbõ veˈʎĩ.j̃u]/ phrase

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency Portuguese
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - forma familiar e carinhosa de referir-se ao Papai Noel

Corpus desk

Index PT-bom-velhinho · bom velhinho · Portuguese

bom velhinho · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "B" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for bom velhinho
PropertyValue
Headwordbom velhinho
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechPhrase
IPA/ˈbõ veˈʎĩ.ɲu/ [ˈbõ veˈʎĩ.j̃u]
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Cauda longa: rank de “bom velhinho” em português

bom velhinhofica fora das 100.000 palavras portuguesas mais frequentes, na cauda longa de vocabulário técnico, arcaico ou raro, onde a dúvida ortográfica aperta.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bom velhinho is uncommon Portuguese outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase, transcribed /ˈbõ veˈʎĩ.ɲu/ [ˈbõ veˈʎĩ.j̃u]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "forma familiar e carinhosa de referir-se ao Papai Noel".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for bom velhinho, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct Portuguese form is bom velhinho, spelled B-O-M- -V-E-L-H-I-N-H-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    forma familiar e carinhosa de referir-se ao Papai Noel

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Se o bom velhinho fosse de verdade, cumprir a sua missão natalina sem violar os dados pessoais das crianças seria uma tarefa complicada.
  2. No caso do Papai Noel, apelidado de “bom velhinho”, temos a substantivação do adjetivo “velho” (“o velhinho”), mas nem por isso o sufixo exprime “tamanho reduzido”. A ideia que prevalece é antes a de carinho para com a pessoa.

Synonyms

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 "bom velhinho"?
"bom velhinho" is spelled B-O-M- -V-E-L-H-I-N-H-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbõ veˈʎĩ.ɲu/ [ˈbõ veˈʎĩ.j̃u].
What does "bom velhinho" mean?
As a phrase, "bom velhinho" means: forma familiar e carinhosa de referir-se ao Papai Noel
How do you pronounce "bom velhinho"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bom velhinho" is /ˈbõ veˈʎĩ.ɲu/ [ˈbõ veˈʎĩ.j̃u]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bom velhinho" come from?
"bom velhinho" is a Portuguese word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list