emu

/e.'mu/

//e.'mu// noun

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

The verdict

“emu” is uncommon Portuguese (frequency #63,499 among 2,493 “E” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#63,499
frequency rank, Portuguese
2,493
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - certa ave australiana, de nome científico Dromaius novaehollandiae

Key facts for emu
PropertyValue
Headwordemu
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
IPA/e.'mu/
Letters3
Frequency rank#63,499
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “emu” 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). emu 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

emu is uncommon Portuguese at frequency #63,499 among 2,493 “E” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /e.'mu/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "certa ave australiana, de nome científico Dromaius novaehollandiae".

No misspelling variants are generated for emu in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable Portuguese patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct Portuguese form is emu, spelled E-M-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    certa ave australiana, de nome científico Dromaius novaehollandiae

This word in other languages

emu(English)emú(Español)émeu(Français)Emu(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 "emu"?
"emu" is spelled E-M-U. The IPA pronunciation is /e.'mu/.
What does "emu" mean?
As a noun, "emu" means: certa ave australiana, de nome científico Dromaius novaehollandiae
How do you pronounce "emu"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "emu" is /e.'mu/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "emu" come from?
"emu" 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 “emu”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is E-M-U - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /e.'mu/ (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