madrinha
/mɐ.ˈdɾi.ɲɐ/
The verdict
“madrinha” is a moderately-common Portuguese word, ranked #12,715 in Portuguese word frequency and used as a noun.
- #12,715
- frequency rank, Portuguese
- 8
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - mulher que apresenta alguém (geralmente criança) para ser batizado ou crismado com o compromisso implícito de, na ausência dos pais, provê-lo de tudo quanto lhe seja necessário; dinda, dindinha
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 | madrinha |
| Language | Portuguese |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /mɐ.ˈdɾi.ɲɐ/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #12,715 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “madrinha” sits in Portuguese frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The Portuguese entry for madrinha is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /mɐ.ˈdɾi.ɲɐ/. Corpus data places it at rank #12,715 in overall Portuguese word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for madrinha, with forms such as "amdrinha", "maddrinha", and "madirnha". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "marinha", "marinho", "mãozinha", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct Portuguese form is madrinha, spelled M-A-D-R-I-N-H-A.
Definition
- 1mulher que apresenta alguém (geralmente criança) para ser batizado ou crismado com o compromisso implícito de, na ausência dos pais, provê-lo de tudo quanto lhe seja necessário; dinda, dindinha
- 2em casamento religioso ou civil, mulher escolhida por um dos noivos ou pelo casal para acompanhar, testemunhar e/ou abençoar a união; testemunha
- 3(Derivação: por extensão de sentido) mulher que ajuda ou protege uma pessoa, especialmente no sentido de introduzi-la em certos meios
- 4(Derivação: por extensão de sentido) mulher que preside o lançamento de um novo empreendimento, que é chamada para inaugurar ou nomear algo
- 5(Derivação: por extensão de sentido) mulher escolhida para representar o espírito e os valores de uma entidade, de uma corporação
- 6o mesmo que madrasta (mulher em relação aos filhos anteriores)
- 7égua ou mula que caminha à frente da tropa, conduzindo-a, frequentemente com sinos ou chocalhos ao pescoço; égua madrinha
- 8mãe-de-santo nos candomblés de caboclo
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: amdrinha,maddrinha,madirnha,madrihna,madrinah,madrinhha,madrinnha,madrniha,madrrinha,mardinha,mdarinha,mmadrinha
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of madrinha - 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 "madrinha"?
What does "madrinha" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "madrinha"?
How do you pronounce "madrinha"?
What language does "madrinha" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “madrinha”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct Portuguese spelling is M-A-D-R-I-N-H-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /mɐ.ˈdɾi.ɲɐ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “marinha” - see the side-by-side comparison. madrinha vs marinha
- 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.