marsupial

/maʁ.su.piˈaw/ [mah.su.pɪˈaʊ̯], AFI: /maʁ.suˈpjaw/ [mah.suˈpjaʊ̯] (coloquial)

//maʁ.su.piˈaw/ [mah.su.pɪˈaʊ̯], AFI: /maʁ.suˈpjaw/ [mah.suˈpjaʊ̯] (coloquial)/ adj

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

The verdict

“marsupial” is uncommon Portuguese (frequency #78,925 among 2,261 “M” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#78,925
frequency rank, Portuguese
2,261
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - pertencente ou relativo a marsúpio ou bolsa

Key facts for marsupial
PropertyValue
Headwordmarsupial
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/maʁ.su.piˈaw/ [mah.su.pɪˈaʊ̯], AFI: /maʁ.suˈpjaw/ [mah.suˈpjaʊ̯] (coloquial)
Letters9
Frequency rank#78,925
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “marsupial” 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). marsupial lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

marsupial is uncommon Portuguese at frequency #78,925 among 2,261 “M” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /maʁ.su.piˈaw/ [mah.su.pɪˈaʊ̯], AFI: /maʁ.suˈpjaw/ [mah.suˈpjaʊ̯] (coloquial). Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for marsupial, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct Portuguese form is marsupial, spelled M-A-R-S-U-P-I-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    pertencente ou relativo a marsúpio ou bolsa
  2. 2
    que tem forma de bolsa
  3. 3
    que tem órgão em forma de bolsa

This word in other languages

marsupial(English)

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 "marsupial"?
"marsupial" is spelled M-A-R-S-U-P-I-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /maʁ.su.piˈaw/ [mah.su.pɪˈaʊ̯], AFI: /maʁ.suˈpjaw/ [mah.suˈpjaʊ̯] (coloquial).
What does "marsupial" mean?
As an adjective, "marsupial" means: pertencente ou relativo a marsúpio ou bolsa
How do you pronounce "marsupial"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "marsupial" is /maʁ.su.piˈaw/ [mah.su.pɪˈaʊ̯], AFI: /maʁ.suˈpjaw/ [mah.suˈpjaʊ̯] (coloquial). Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "marsupial" come from?
"marsupial" 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 “marsupial”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is M-A-R-S-U-P-I-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /maʁ.su.piˈaw/ [mah.su.pɪˈaʊ̯], AFI: /maʁ.suˈpjaw/ [mah.suˈpjaʊ̯] (coloquial) (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

Other uncommon Portuguese words near this rank

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