carinho

/kɐ.ˈɾi.ɲu/

//kɐ.ˈɾi.ɲu// noun

The verdict

“carinho” is a regularly-used Portuguese word, ranked #3,536 in Portuguese word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,536
frequency rank, Portuguese
7
letters
9
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - gesto afetivo entre dois indivíduos que pode envolver contato físico, ou palavras, ou um simples olhar

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

carinho vs casino
71% similar
carinho vs carrinho
88% similar
carinho vs carrinha
75% similar

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

Key facts for carinho
PropertyValue
Headwordcarinho
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɐ.ˈɾi.ɲu/
Letters7
Frequency rank#3,536
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “carinho” 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). carinho 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 carinho is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kɐ.ˈɾi.ɲu/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,536 in overall Portuguese word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "gesto afetivo entre dois indivíduos que pode envolver contato físico, ou palavras, ou um simples olhar".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for carinho, with forms such as "acrinho", "cairnho", and "carihno". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "casino", "carrinho", "carrinha", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct Portuguese form is carinho, spelled C-A-R-I-N-H-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    gesto afetivo entre dois indivíduos que pode envolver contato físico, ou palavras, ou um simples olhar

Synonyms

Antonyms

descarinho

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: acrinho,cairnho,carihno,carinhho,carinnho,carinoh,carniho,ccarinho,crainho

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of carinho - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

acrinho2cairnho2carihno2carinhho1carinnho1carinoh2carniho2ccarinho1
Edit distance from "carinho"

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 "carinho"?
"carinho" is spelled C-A-R-I-N-H-O. The IPA pronunciation is /kɐ.ˈɾi.ɲu/.
What does "carinho" mean?
As a noun, "carinho" means: gesto afetivo entre dois indivíduos que pode envolver contato físico, ou palavras, ou um simples olhar
What words are commonly confused with "carinho"?
"carinho" is commonly confused with "casino", "carrinho", "carrinha". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "carinho"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "carinho" is /kɐ.ˈɾi.ɲu/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "carinho" come from?
"carinho" 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.

Using “carinho”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is C-A-R-I-N-H-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kɐ.ˈɾi.ɲu/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “casino” - see the side-by-side comparison. carinho vs casino
  • 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