lema
/ˈle.mɐ/
The verdict
“lema” is a regularly-used Portuguese word, ranked #7,042 in Portuguese word frequency and used as a noun.
- #7,042
- frequency rank, Portuguese
- 4
- letters
- 5
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - ideia expressa por uma frase que serve de guia ou de motivação para uma pessoa, grupo, seita, país ou nação
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | lema |
| Language | Portuguese |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈle.mɐ/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #7,042 |
| Misspellings tracked | 5 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “lema” sits in Portuguese frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The Portuguese entry for lema is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈle.mɐ/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,042 in overall Portuguese word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for lema, with forms such as "elma", "leam", and "lemma". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ler", "lua", "leo", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, 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 lema, spelled L-E-M-A.
Definition
- 1ideia expressa por uma frase que serve de guia ou de motivação para uma pessoa, grupo, seita, país ou nação
- 2a forma canônica de uma palavra
- 3teorema usado como um passo intermediário para atingir um resultado maior
- 4simultaneamente uma contenção para premissas abaixo dele e uma premissa para uma contenção acima dele
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: elma,leam,lemma,llema,lmea
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lema - 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.
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 "lema"?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “lema”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct Portuguese spelling is L-E-M-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈle.mɐ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “ler” - see the side-by-side comparison. lema vs ler
- 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.