metátese

/meˈta.te.zi/

//meˈta.te.zi// noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency Portuguese
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - troca de lugar de fonemas ou sílabas dentro de uma palavra, atraídos ou repelidos por outros fonemas (por exemplo, atanazar > atazanar; víbora > bívora)

Corpus desk

Index PT-metatese · metátese · Portuguese

metátese · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 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 metátese
PropertyValue
Headwordmetátese
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
IPA/meˈta.te.zi/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Cauda longa: rank de “metátese” em português

metátesenão entra no top 100.000 do português: zona de termos técnicos, arcaicos ou escassos.

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

Rare enough to double-check

metátese is uncommon Portuguese outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /meˈta.te.zi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

metátese doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable Portuguese patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

No documented word history exists for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct Portuguese form is metátese, spelled M-E-T-Á-T-E-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    troca de lugar de fonemas ou sílabas dentro de uma palavra, atraídos ou repelidos por outros fonemas (por exemplo, atanazar > atazanar; víbora > bívora)
  2. 2
    mudança de posição dos termos em um enunciado
  3. 3
    operação que consiste em transferir o foco de uma doença para outro local onde seja inofensivo ou menos danoso

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 "metátese"?
"metátese" is spelled M-E-T-Á-T-E-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /meˈta.te.zi/.
What does "metátese" mean?
As a noun, "metátese" means: troca de lugar de fonemas ou sílabas dentro de uma palavra, atraídos ou repelidos por outros fonemas (por exemplo, atanazar > atazanar; víbora > bívora)
How do you pronounce "metátese"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "metátese" is /meˈta.te.zi/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "metátese" come from?
"metátese" 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