prefácio

/pɾɨ.ˈfa.sju/

//pɾɨ.ˈfa.sju// noun

The verdict

“prefácio” is a moderately-common Portuguese word, ranked #15,654 in Portuguese word frequency and used as a noun.

#15,654
frequency rank, Portuguese
8
letters
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - texto preliminar de apresentação, geralmente breve, escrito pelo autor ou por outrem, colocado no começo do livro, com explicações sobre seu conteúdo, objetivos ou sobre a pessoa do autor

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

prefácio vs pregação
50% similar
prefácio vs precário
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for prefácio
PropertyValue
Headwordprefácio
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɾɨ.ˈfa.sju/
Letters8
Frequency rank#15,654
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “prefácio” 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). prefácio lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The Portuguese entry for prefácio is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pɾɨ.ˈfa.sju/. Corpus data places it at rank #15,654 in overall Portuguese word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "texto preliminar de apresentação, geralmente breve, escrito pelo autor ou por outrem, colocado no começo do livro, com explicações sobre seu conteúdo, objetivos ou sobre a pessoa do autor".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for prefácio, with forms such as "perfácio", "pprefácio", and "prefcáio". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "pregação", "precário", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct Portuguese form is prefácio, spelled P-R-E-F-Á-C-I-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    texto preliminar de apresentação, geralmente breve, escrito pelo autor ou por outrem, colocado no começo do livro, com explicações sobre seu conteúdo, objetivos ou sobre a pessoa do autor

Synonyms

anteâmbuloantelóquioapresentaçãoexórdiointroduçãopreâmbuloprefaçãopreliminarprelúdioproêmioprolegômenosprólogoprolusão

Antonyms

conclusãoepílogofechoparalipômenosperoraçãoposfácioremate

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: perfácio,pprefácio,prefcáio,preffácio,prefáccio,prefácoi,prefáico,preáfcio,prfeácio,prrefácio,rpefácio

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of prefácio - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

perfácio2pprefácio1prefcáio2preffácio1prefáccio1prefácoi2prefáico2preáfcio2
Edit distance from "prefácio"

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 "prefácio"?
"prefácio" is spelled P-R-E-F-Á-C-I-O. The IPA pronunciation is /pɾɨ.ˈfa.sju/.
What does "prefácio" mean?
As a noun, "prefácio" means: texto preliminar de apresentação, geralmente breve, escrito pelo autor ou por outrem, colocado no começo do livro, com explicações sobre seu conteúdo, objetivos ou sobre a pessoa do autor
What words are commonly confused with "prefácio"?
"prefácio" is commonly confused with "pregação", "precário". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "prefácio"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prefácio" is /pɾɨ.ˈfa.sju/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "prefácio" come from?
"prefácio" 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.

Using “prefácio”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is P-R-E-F-Á-C-I-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /pɾɨ.ˈfa.sju/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “pregação” - see the side-by-side comparison. prefácio vs pregação
  • Browse more Portuguese words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Portuguese words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list