girar

/ʒi.ˈɾaɾ/

//ʒi.ˈɾaɾ// verb

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

The verdict

“girar” is a moderately-common Portuguese word, ranked #12,256 in Portuguese word frequency and used as a verb.

#12,256
frequency rank, Portuguese
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - mover(-se) em torno de um eixo, de um centro; rodar

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

girar vs grau
60% similar
girar vs girl
60% similar
girar vs giro
60% similar

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

Key facts for girar
PropertyValue
Headwordgirar
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ʒi.ˈɾaɾ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#12,256
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “girar” 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). girar 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 girar is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ʒi.ˈɾaɾ/. Corpus data places it at rank #12,256 in overall Portuguese word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 15 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for girar, with forms such as "ggirar", "giarr", and "girarr". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 18 confusable-pair relationships, "grau", "girl", "giro", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct Portuguese form is girar, spelled G-I-R-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    mover(-se) em torno de um eixo, de um centro; rodar
  2. 2
    descrever (movimento rotatório ou circular)
  3. 3
    localizar-se em torno de; circundar, rodear
  4. 4
    andar de um lado para outro; circular
  5. 5
    ser espalhado, divulgado; circular, difundir-se
  6. 6
    alongar-se em voltas; serpentear
  7. 7
    movimentar-se desordenadamente; agitar-se, revolutear
  8. 8
    escoar-se (tempo, horas, dias etc.); decorrer
  9. 9
    (Regionalismo: Brasil) (Uso: informal) ficar maluco; enlouquecer, amalucar
  10. 10
    (Regionalismo: Brasil) andar ativo; lidar, trabalhar
  11. 11
    percorrer ininterruptamente (determinado circuito); circular, correr
  12. 12
    (Derivação: sentido figurado) concentrar-se em torno de; gravitar, realizar-se, versar
  13. 13
    ter curso (moeda, dinheiro); correr, viger
  14. 14
    passar (a vista, os olhos) de modo ligeiro por; percorrer
  15. 15
    realizar negócios com

Synonyms

vaguear

This word in other languages

turn(English)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ggirar,giarr,girarr,girrar,griar,igrar

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of girar - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ggirar1giarr2girarr1girrar1griar2igrar2
Edit distance from "girar"

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 "girar"?
"girar" is spelled G-I-R-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ʒi.ˈɾaɾ/.
What does "girar" mean?
As a verb, "girar" means: mover(-se) em torno de um eixo, de um centro; rodar
What words are commonly confused with "girar"?
"girar" is commonly confused with "grau", "girl", "giro". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "girar"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "girar" is /ʒi.ˈɾaɾ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "girar" come from?
"girar" 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 “girar”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is G-I-R-A-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ʒi.ˈɾaɾ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “grau” - see the side-by-side comparison. girar vs grau
  • 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