chá

/ˈʃa/

//ˈʃa// noun

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

The verdict

“chá” is a regularly-used Portuguese word, ranked #2,711 in Portuguese word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,711
frequency rank, Portuguese
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - planta da família das Teáceas, originária do Extremo Oriente, cultivada por causa de suas folhas que contêm um alcalóide, a teína (cafeína do chá)

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

chá vs co
33% similar
chá vs cu
33% similar
chá vs ci
33% similar

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

Key facts for chá
PropertyValue
Headwordchá
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʃa/
Letters3
Frequency rank#2,711
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “chá” 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). chá 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 chá is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈʃa/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,711 in overall Portuguese word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No generated misspelling entries exist for chá in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "co", "cu", "ci", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No explicit etymology string is stored 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 chá, spelled C-H-Á.

Definition

  1. 1
    planta da família das Teáceas, originária do Extremo Oriente, cultivada por causa de suas folhas que contêm um alcalóide, a teína (cafeína do chá)
  2. 2
    as folhas secas dessa planta
  3. 3
    a preparação de infusão das folhas de chá
  4. 4
    infusão de diversas plantas, como por exemplo chá de erva cidreira, de erva doce, de camomila, de boldo, etc
  5. 5
    ato ou seu resultado que faz com que se tenha uma dose grande e extenuante

This word in other languages

tea(English)té(Español)thé(Français)Tee(Deutsch)

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 "chá"?
"chá" is spelled C-H-Á. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃa/.
What does "chá" mean?
As a noun, "chá" means: planta da família das Teáceas, originária do Extremo Oriente, cultivada por causa de suas folhas que contêm um alcalóide, a teína (cafeína do chá)
What words are commonly confused with "chá"?
"chá" is commonly confused with "co", "cu", "ci". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "chá"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chá" is /ˈʃa/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "chá" come from?
"chá" is a Portuguese word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “chá”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is C-H-Á - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈʃa/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “co” - see the side-by-side comparison. chá vs co
  • 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