mau-olhado

noun

The verdict

“mau-olhado” is uncommon Portuguese (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency Portuguese
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - feitiço; crença folclórica observada entre vários povos de que a maneira de olhar uma situação de prosperidade pode ocasionar a degradação desta

Corpus desk

Index PT-mau-olhado · mau-olhado · Portuguese

mau-olhado · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "M" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for mau-olhado
PropertyValue
Headwordmau-olhado
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Cauda longa: rank de “mau-olhado” em português

mau-olhadoestá além das 100.000 formas mais frequentes do português, na cauda de léxico especializado ou pouco usado.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

mau-olhado is uncommon Portuguese outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

mau-olhado has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct Portuguese form is mau-olhado, spelled M-A-U---O-L-H-A-D-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    feitiço; crença folclórica observada entre vários povos de que a maneira de olhar uma situação de prosperidade pode ocasionar a degradação desta
  2. 2
    pretensa influência de ordem sobrenatural causadora de má sorte que emanaria através dos olhos de uma pessoa e destes à pessoa assolada ao ser visualizada, a qual passaria a sofrer dessa pretensa má influência sobrenatural que a causaria desafortúnio como efeito

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how mau-olhado appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Superstições à parte, a sorridente Carol explicou por que dispensou 'florzinhas' ontem e investiu no kit contra mau-olhado.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "mau-olhado"?
"mau-olhado" is spelled M-A-U---O-L-H-A-D-O.
What does "mau-olhado" mean?
As a noun, "mau-olhado" means: feitiço; crença folclórica observada entre vários povos de que a maneira de olhar uma situação de prosperidade pode ocasionar a degradação desta
What language does "mau-olhado" come from?
"mau-olhado" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list