já

/ˈʒa/

//ˈʒa// adv

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

The verdict

“já” is in the everyday core of Portuguese, ranked #41 in Portuguese word frequency and used as an adverb.

#41
frequency rank, Portuguese
2
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - imediatamente

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

já vs jo
50% similar
já vs je
50% similar
já vs ji
50% similar

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

Key facts for já
PropertyValue
Headwordjá
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈʒa/
Letters2
Frequency rank#41
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “já” 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). já 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 já is 2 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈʒa/. Corpus data places it at rank #41 in overall Portuguese word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for já, suggesting the orthography follows predictable Portuguese patterns. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "jo", "je", "ji", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct Portuguese form is já, spelled J-Á.

Definition

  1. 1
    imediatamente
  2. 2
    agora
  3. 3
    nesse ou neste momento

This word in other languages

already(English)ya(Español)déjà(Français)schon(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 "já"?
"já" is spelled J-Á. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʒa/.
What does "já" mean?
As an adverb, "já" means: imediatamente
What words are commonly confused with "já"?
"já" is commonly confused with "jo", "je", "ji". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "já"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "já" is /ˈʒa/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "já" come from?
"já" 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 “já”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is J-Á - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈʒa/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “jo” - see the side-by-side comparison. já vs jo
  • 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