de novo

phrase

The verdict

“de novo” is uncommon Portuguese (outside the top frequency list), classed as a phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency Portuguese
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - novamente, mais uma vez, outra vez

Key facts for de novo
PropertyValue
Headwordde novo
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechPhrase
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “de novo” sits in Portuguese frequency

de novo 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.

Rare enough to double-check

de novo is uncommon Portuguese outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "novamente, mais uma vez, outra vez".

de novo has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable Portuguese patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct Portuguese form is de novo, spelled D-E- -N-O-V-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    novamente, mais uma vez, outra vez

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 "de novo"?
"de novo" is spelled D-E- -N-O-V-O.
What does "de novo" mean?
As a phrase, "de novo" means: novamente, mais uma vez, outra vez
What language does "de novo" come from?
"de novo" 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 “de novo”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is D-E- -N-O-V-O - 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