breu
The verdict
“breu” is a moderately-common Portuguese word, ranked #37,209 in Portuguese word frequency and used as a noun.
- #37,209
- frequency rank, Portuguese
- 4
- letters
- 5
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - sólido escuro, inflamável, obtido a partir de secreções resinosas de várias plantas, especialmente de coníferas (Pinus palustris etc.), ou da destilação do alcatrão; breu de colofônia, colofônia, c...
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | breu |
| Language | Portuguese |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #37,209 |
| Misspellings tracked | 5 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “breu” sits in Portuguese frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The Portuguese entry for breu is 4 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #37,209 in overall Portuguese word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for breu, with forms such as "bbreu", "beru", and "brreu". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "bué", "broa", "brio", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct Portuguese form is breu, spelled B-R-E-U.
Definition
- 1sólido escuro, inflamável, obtido a partir de secreções resinosas de várias plantas, especialmente de coníferas (Pinus palustris etc.), ou da destilação do alcatrão; breu de colofônia, colofônia, colofônio [O breu é usado em adesivos, vernizes, isolantes, revestimentos etc., e também em plásticos e na fabricação de papel (engomagem)]
- 2betume artificial composto de sebo, pez, resina e outros ingredientes, usado pelos calafates para dar acabamento e cobrir as costuras do tabuado do navio
- 3resina odorífera que exsuda do tronco de várias árvores da família das burseráceas; almécega, elemi, icica [Conforme a espécie e os espécimes, pode ser branca, esverdeada, amarela, avermelhada, marrom ou preta;quando seca, é quebradiça; tem vários usos domésticos e industriais, como substância medicinal ou como componente na produção de incenso, tintas, vernizes e outros impermeabilizantes]
- 4o mesmo que icica (Protium icicariba, resina)
- 5o mesmo que guapuruvu (Schizolobium parahyba)
- 6(Derivação: por analogia) escuridão ou coisa muito escura
- 7espécie de bote usado para vender frutas à tripulação dos navios mercantes
- 8(Derivação: por metonímia) o tripulante de tais botes
- 9, vinho
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: bbreu,beru,brreu,brue,rbeu
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of breu - 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.
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 "breu"?
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Using “breu”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct Portuguese spelling is B-R-E-U - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Don't mix it up with “bué” - see the side-by-side comparison. breu vs bué
- 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.