macumba
/mɐ.ˈkũ.bɐ/
The verdict
“macumba” is a moderately-common Portuguese word, ranked #43,520 in Portuguese word frequency and used as a noun.
- #43,520
- frequency rank, Portuguese
- 7
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - antigo instrumento de percussão de origem africana, espécie de canzá que consistia num tubo de taquara com cortes transversais onde se friccionavam duas varetas, e que era outrora usado em terreiro...
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | macumba |
| Language | Portuguese |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /mɐ.ˈkũ.bɐ/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #43,520 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “macumba” sits in Portuguese frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The Portuguese entry for macumba is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /mɐ.ˈkũ.bɐ/. Corpus data places it at rank #43,520 in overall Portuguese word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for macumba, with forms such as "amcumba", "maccumba", and "macmuba". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct Portuguese form is macumba, spelled M-A-C-U-M-B-A.
Definition
- 1antigo instrumento de percussão de origem africana, espécie de canzá que consistia num tubo de taquara com cortes transversais onde se friccionavam duas varetas, e que era outrora usado em terreiros de cultos afro-brasileiros
- 2designação genérica dos cultos afro-brasileiros originários do nagô e que receberam influências de outras religiões africanas (por exemplo, de Angola e do Congo), e também ameríndias, católicas, espíritas e ocultistas
- 3o ritual celebrado nesses cultos
- 4(Derivação: por extensão de sentido) designação leiga dos cultos afro-brasileiros em geral (e seus rituais respectivos)
- 5(Derivação: por extensão de sentido) designação leiga dos cultos afro-brasileiros em geral (e seus rituais respectivos)
- 6(Derivação: por metonímia) oferenda a Exu, especialmente nas encruzilhadas; despacho
- 7(Derivação: por extensão de sentido) em sentido lato, magia negra, feitiçaria; feitiço, despacho
- 8em terreiros do Nordeste do Brasil, excremento
- 9ousadia, audácia
- 10no início do século XX, filha-de-santo da nação cabinda
Synonyms
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: amcumba,maccumba,macmuba,macubma,macumab,macumbba,macummba,maucmba,mcaumba,mmacumba
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of macumba - 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 "macumba"?
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Using “macumba”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct Portuguese spelling is M-A-C-U-M-B-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /mɐ.ˈkũ.bɐ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.