catacrese

noun

The verdict

“catacrese” is outside the top-ranked Portuguese vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency Portuguese
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - metáfora que consiste na utilização de uma palavra ou expressão que não descreve com exatidão o que se quer expressar, mas é adotada por não haver uma outra palavra apropriada - ou a palavra apropr...

Key facts for catacrese
PropertyValue
Headwordcatacrese
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “catacrese” sits in Portuguese frequency

catacrese falls outside the top-100,000 ranked Portuguese words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The Portuguese entry for catacrese is 9 letters long, classified as a noun. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "metáfora que consiste na utilização de uma palavra ou expressão que não descreve com exatidão o que se quer expressar, mas é adotada por não haver uma outra palavra apropriada - ou a palavra apropr...".

No generated misspelling entries exist for catacrese in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, 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 catacrese, spelled C-A-T-A-C-R-E-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    metáfora que consiste na utilização de uma palavra ou expressão que não descreve com exatidão o que se quer expressar, mas é adotada por não haver uma outra palavra apropriada - ou a palavra apropriada não ser de uso comum; são como expressões usadas para facilitar a comunicação

This word in other languages

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 "catacrese"?
"catacrese" is spelled C-A-T-A-C-R-E-S-E.
What does "catacrese" mean?
As a noun, "catacrese" means: metáfora que consiste na utilização de uma palavra ou expressão que não descreve com exatidão o que se quer expressar, mas é adotada por não haver uma outra palavra apropriada - ou a palavra apropr...
What language does "catacrese" come from?
"catacrese" 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 “catacrese”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is C-A-T-A-C-R-E-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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