-ense
Portuguese, suffix/ˈẽ.si/
-ense is spelled E-N-S-E (4 letters) and appears about once in every 69 million words in written Portuguese, the 229,473rd most frequent Portuguese word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). -ense is a Portuguese feminine suffix meaning “forms the names of residents or inhabitants of a place” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) defines it as “formador de gentílicos: paranaense; ver -ês”.
What does -ense mean in English?
suffix
- 1
femininemasculineforms the names of residents or inhabitants of a place
Berlim (“Berlin”) + -ense → berlinense (“Berliner”)
- 2
femininemasculineforms adjectives meaning “of or relating to [the suffixed place]”
Berlim (“Berlin”) + -ense → berlinense (“of or relating to Berlin”)
Source: English Wiktionary, Portuguese section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How Portuguese dictionaries define it
suffix: 1. formador de gentílicos: paranaense; ver -ês.
abbreviation: 1. Entidade Nacional para o Setor Energético
The definition in the Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário), in Portuguese.
Source: Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
How do you pronounce -ense?
- Brazil /ˈẽ.si/
- Portugal /ˈẽ.sɨ/
Sources: English Wiktionary, Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to -ense
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is -ense in Portuguese?
-ense appears about once in every 69 million words in written Portuguese.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).