subtil
/sub.ˈtiɫ/
The verdict
“subtil” is a moderately-common Portuguese word, ranked #40,344 in Portuguese word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #40,344
- frequency rank, Portuguese
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - tênue, fino
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | subtil |
| Language | Portuguese |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /sub.ˈtiɫ/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #40,344 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “subtil” sits in Portuguese frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The Portuguese entry for subtil is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /sub.ˈtiɫ/. Corpus data places it at rank #40,344 in overall Portuguese word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for subtil, with forms such as "sbutil", "ssubtil", and "subbtil". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "sutil", "sutiã", "subir", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
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 subtil, spelled S-U-B-T-I-L.
Definition
- 1tênue, fino
- 2agudo, penetrante
- 3que escapa ao tato
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: sbutil,ssubtil,subbtil,subitl,subtill,subtli,subttil,sutbil,usbtil
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of subtil - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 "subtil"?
What does "subtil" mean?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “subtil”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct Portuguese spelling is S-U-B-T-I-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /sub.ˈtiɫ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “sutil” - see the side-by-side comparison. subtil vs sutil
- 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.