figa

/ˈfi.ɡɐ/

//ˈfi.ɡɐ// noun

The verdict

“figa” is uncommon Portuguese (frequency #64,176 among 853 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#64,176
frequency rank, Portuguese
853
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - pequeno amuleto, na forma de um mão fechada, com o polegar entre os dedos indicador e médio, usado supersticiosamente para resguardo contra malefícios, doenças, mau-olhado, etc

Corpus desk

Index PT-figa · figa · Portuguese

figa · rank #64,176 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #64,176
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 853
  • PHOTO-FINISH feirão

Nearest frequency peer: feirão (-2 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Ranks da cauda longa perto de “figa”

Faixa escassa: as barras invertem o rank para o raro ler-se mais curto

corpus weight

What this shows Vista da cauda longa: onde “figa” se situa face a ranks portugueses igualmente raros.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for figa
PropertyValue
Headwordfiga
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfi.ɡɐ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#64,176
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Cauda longa: rank de “figa” em português

Da esquerda para a direita: o pouco que carrega a fala diária, depois a cauda longa quase invisível.figacai nesta cauda de raridade:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

O eixo é logarítmico: cada tick marca cerca de dez vezes menos frequência. Vizinhos raros da mesma faixa: “feirão” (#64,174), “folgar” (#64,182), “extensível” (#64,168). Entre 853 lemas com “F”, “figa” fica em #64,176. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

figa is uncommon Portuguese at frequency #64,176 among 853 “F” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈfi.ɡɐ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for figa, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable Portuguese rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct Portuguese form is figa, spelled F-I-G-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    pequeno amuleto, na forma de um mão fechada, com o polegar entre os dedos indicador e médio, usado supersticiosamente para resguardo contra malefícios, doenças, mau-olhado, etc
  2. 2
    sinal que se faz com os dedos indicador e médio, pondo-os entrelaçados ou cruzados; esconjuro

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how figa appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. "Posidônio, estando atormentado por uma doença tão dolorosa que o levava a retorcer os braços e ranger os dentes, julgava fazer figa à dor por bradar contra ela: “Por mais que faças, não direi que és um mal.”

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 "figa"?
"figa" is spelled F-I-G-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfi.ɡɐ/.
What does "figa" mean?
As a noun, "figa" means: pequeno amuleto, na forma de um mão fechada, com o polegar entre os dedos indicador e médio, usado supersticiosamente para resguardo contra malefícios, doenças, mau-olhado, etc
How do you pronounce "figa"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "figa" is /ˈfi.ɡɐ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "figa" come from?
"figa" is a Portuguese word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

Similar Portuguese words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "figa", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked Portuguese headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list