joy

/dʒɔɪ/

//dʒɔɪ// noun

The verdict

“joy” is a moderately-common Portuguese word, ranked #10,741 in Portuguese word frequency and used as a noun.

#10,741
frequency rank, Portuguese
3
letters
18
confusable pairs

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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

joy vs July
25% similar
joy vs já
33% similar
joy vs jo
67% similar

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

Key facts for joy
PropertyValue
Headwordjoy
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dʒɔɪ/
Letters3
Frequency rank#10,741
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “joy” 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). joy 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 joy is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dʒɔɪ/. Corpus data places it at rank #10,741 in overall Portuguese word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for joy, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It also participates in 18 confusable-pair relationships, "July", "já", "jo", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct Portuguese form is joy, spelled J-O-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    alegria
  2. 2
    sucesso; boa sorte

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 "joy"?
"joy" is spelled J-O-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /dʒɔɪ/.
What does "joy" mean?
As a noun, "joy" means: alegria
What words are commonly confused with "joy"?
"joy" is commonly confused with "July", "já", "jo". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "joy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "joy" is /dʒɔɪ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "joy" come from?
"joy" 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.

Using “joy”

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

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