pirilampo

/pi.ɾi.ˈlɐ̃.pu/

//pi.ɾi.ˈlɐ̃.pu// noun

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

The verdict

“pirilampo” is uncommon Portuguese (frequency #77,434 among 1,578 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#77,434
frequency rank, Portuguese
1,578
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - nome comum a várias espécies de coleópteros (das famílias Elateridae, Phengodidae e Lampyridae) que têm a propriedade de emitir bioluminescência, via de regra na fase adulta e eventualmente também ...

Corpus desk

Index PT-pirilampo · pirilampo · Portuguese

pirilampo · rank #77,434 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #77,434
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,578
  • PHOTO-FINISH pons

Nearest frequency peer: pons (+3 rank slots)

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.

Ranks da cauda longa perto de “pirilampo”

Faixa escassa: as barras invertem o rank para o raro ler-se mais curto

corpus weight

What this shows Vista da cauda longa: onde “pirilampo” se situa face a ranks portugueses igualmente raros.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for pirilampo
PropertyValue
Headwordpirilampo
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pi.ɾi.ˈlɐ̃.pu/
Letters9
Frequency rank#77,434
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Cauda longa: rank de “pirilampo” em português

A frequência vai do punhado de palavras do dia a dia (esquerda) à cauda longa quase nunca usada (direita).pirilampocai nesta cauda de raridade:

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

Os ticks avançam em logaritmo; cada um é da ordem de dez vezes mais raro. Vizinhos raros da mesma faixa: “pons” (#77,437), “porro” (#77,438), “petulante” (#77,427). Entre 1,578 lemas com “P”, “pirilampo” fica em #77,434. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

pirilampo is uncommon Portuguese at frequency #77,434 among 1,578 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /pi.ɾi.ˈlɐ̃.pu/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for pirilampo, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable Portuguese rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct Portuguese form is pirilampo, spelled P-I-R-I-L-A-M-P-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    nome comum a várias espécies de coleópteros (das famílias Elateridae, Phengodidae e Lampyridae) que têm a propriedade de emitir bioluminescência, via de regra na fase adulta e eventualmente também na fase larval, por meio de órgãos especiais onde a luciferina é oxidada pelo oxigênio nuclear com mediação da enzima luciferase, resultando em oxiluciferina e que, assim, emite luz
  2. 2
    toda luz ou foco fosforescente que faz lembrar a emitida pelo inseto
  3. 3
    fogo de artifício de pequeno efeito
  4. 4
    sinal luminoso que encima veículos com prioridade no trânsito a indicar urgência ou atenção aos demais motoristas e transeuntes

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Mal era que a luz da vela minguara tanto que agora brilhava menos que um pirilampo.

Synonyms

abre-cuarincucaga-lumefere-lumedjamburerélampíridelampíriolampirolumeeirolumieiroluze-culuze-luzeluzinculuzilumemosca-de-fogonoctiluzpiríforasalta-martimuauávaga-lumegiroflex

This word in other languages

firefly(English)luciérnaga(Español)lampyre(Français)Glühwürmchen(Deutsch)

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 "pirilampo"?
"pirilampo" is spelled P-I-R-I-L-A-M-P-O. The IPA pronunciation is /pi.ɾi.ˈlɐ̃.pu/.
What does "pirilampo" mean?
As a noun, "pirilampo" means: nome comum a várias espécies de coleópteros (das famílias Elateridae, Phengodidae e Lampyridae) que têm a propriedade de emitir bioluminescência, via de regra na fase adulta e eventualmente também ...
How do you pronounce "pirilampo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pirilampo" is /pi.ɾi.ˈlɐ̃.pu/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "pirilampo" come from?
"pirilampo" 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.

Similar Portuguese words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "pirilampo", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked Portuguese headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

petulante#77,427precavido#77,442perinatal#77,419negociata#77,379

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list