ponto morto

/ˈpõ.tu ˈmoʁ.tu/ [ˈpõ.tu ˈmoh.tu]

//ˈpõ.tu ˈmoʁ.tu/ [ˈpõ.tu ˈmoh.tu]/ phrase

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency Portuguese
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - posição neutra das marchas de um automóvel e outros veículos com câmbio manual, onde a potência gerada pelo motor não é transmitida às engrenagens de movimento

Corpus desk

Index PT-ponto-morto · ponto morto · Portuguese

ponto morto · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "P" 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 ponto morto
PropertyValue
Headwordponto morto
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechPhrase
IPA/ˈpõ.tu ˈmoʁ.tu/ [ˈpõ.tu ˈmoh.tu]
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Cauda longa: rank de “ponto morto” em português

ponto mortoestá 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

ponto morto is uncommon Portuguese outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase, transcribed /ˈpõ.tu ˈmoʁ.tu/ [ˈpõ.tu ˈmoh.tu]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

ponto morto has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct Portuguese form is ponto morto, spelled P-O-N-T-O- -M-O-R-T-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    posição neutra das marchas de um automóvel e outros veículos com câmbio manual, onde a potência gerada pelo motor não é transmitida às engrenagens de movimento
  2. 2
    ponto no qual o êmbolo de um motor a vapor ou a explosão inverte seu movimento
  3. 3
    ponto ou posição geográfica não atingida pelas ondas radiofônicas
  4. 4
    situação em que nada acontece

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. O neutro, por exemplo, é o famoso ponto morto, utilizado quando o carro está parado.

Synonyms

neutroponto neutroestagnaçãoparadeiroparagem

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 "ponto morto"?
"ponto morto" is spelled P-O-N-T-O- -M-O-R-T-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpõ.tu ˈmoʁ.tu/ [ˈpõ.tu ˈmoh.tu].
What does "ponto morto" mean?
As a phrase, "ponto morto" means: posição neutra das marchas de um automóvel e outros veículos com câmbio manual, onde a potência gerada pelo motor não é transmitida às engrenagens de movimento
How do you pronounce "ponto morto"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ponto morto" is /ˈpõ.tu ˈmoʁ.tu/ [ˈpõ.tu ˈmoh.tu]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ponto morto" come from?
"ponto morto" is a Portuguese word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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