caravela

/kɐ.ɾɐ.ˈvɛ.lɐ/

//kɐ.ɾɐ.ˈvɛ.lɐ// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“caravela” is uncommon Portuguese (frequency #63,391 among 3,948 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#63,391
frequency rank, Portuguese
3,948
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - embarcação de velas latinas, de pequeno calado, casco alteroso à popa e mais raso a vante, com um a quatro mastros, utilizado nos século XV e século XVI, especialmente pelos portugueses, nas viagen...

Key facts for caravela
PropertyValue
Headwordcaravela
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɐ.ɾɐ.ˈvɛ.lɐ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#63,391
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “caravela” 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). caravela lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

caravela is uncommon Portuguese at frequency #63,391 among 3,948 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /kɐ.ɾɐ.ˈvɛ.lɐ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 10 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for caravela in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable Portuguese rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct Portuguese form is caravela, spelled C-A-R-A-V-E-L-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    embarcação de velas latinas, de pequeno calado, casco alteroso à popa e mais raso a vante, com um a quatro mastros, utilizado nos século XV e século XVI, especialmente pelos portugueses, nas viagens de descobrimento
  2. 2
    antiga moeda de prata, equivalente a 12 vinténs
  3. 3
    (Derivação: por extensão de sentido) gratificação em dinheiro; gorjeta
  4. 4
    vara de mandioca
  5. 5
    (Derivação: por extensão de sentido) espécie de cata-vento sonoro que faz girar espantalho para afugentar aves daninhas de plantação
  6. 6
    o mesmo que cata-vento (ludologia)
  7. 7
    mulher esquelética
  8. 8
    farnel para jornadas
  9. 9
    designação comum aos cnidários hidrozoários do gênero Physalia, da ordem dos sifonóforos, encontrados na superfície de mares quentes, na forma de grandes colônias, constituídas especialmente por um indivíduo medusoide, que funciona como um flutuador cheio de gás e por longos tentáculos urticantes; caravela-portuguesa, langanho
  10. 10
    o mesmo que água-viva

This word in other languages

caravel(English)carabela(Español)caravelle(Français)

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 "caravela"?
"caravela" is spelled C-A-R-A-V-E-L-A. The IPA pronunciation is /kɐ.ɾɐ.ˈvɛ.lɐ/.
What does "caravela" mean?
As a noun, "caravela" means: embarcação de velas latinas, de pequeno calado, casco alteroso à popa e mais raso a vante, com um a quatro mastros, utilizado nos século XV e século XVI, especialmente pelos portugueses, nas viagen...
How do you pronounce "caravela"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "caravela" is /kɐ.ɾɐ.ˈvɛ.lɐ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "caravela" come from?
"caravela" is a Portuguese word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “caravela”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is C-A-R-A-V-E-L-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kɐ.ɾɐ.ˈvɛ.lɐ/ (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

Other uncommon Portuguese words near this rank

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