subtil

/sub.ˈtiɫ/

//sub.ˈtiɫ// adj

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

The verdict

“subtil” has 9 generated spelling variants in the Portuguese index at frequency #40,344. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,344
frequency rank, Portuguese
1,185
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - tênue, fino

Corpus desk

Index PT-subtil · subtil · Portuguese

subtil · rank #40,344 · 9 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #40,344
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,185
  • PHOTO-FINISH sulfúrico

Nearest frequency peer: sulfúrico (+2 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.

Pares de rank junto ao íman ortográfico “subtil”

Mesma faixa de raridade: útil se um typo cair num lema vizinho

corpus weight

What this shows “subtil” está entre estes pares FrequencyWords; a profundidade de typo mede-se à parte no gráfico de distância de edição.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

subtil vs sutil
83% similar
subtil vs sutiã
67% similar
subtil vs subir
67% similar

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

Key facts for subtil
PropertyValue
Headwordsubtil
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/sub.ˈtiɫ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#40,344
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequência do íman ortográfico “subtil”

Da esquerda para a direita: o pouco que carrega a fala diária, depois a cauda longa quase invisível.subtilcai aqui:

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

O eixo é logarítmico: cada tick marca cerca de dez vezes menos frequência. Na mesma faixa de raridade aparecem “sulfúrico” (#40,346), “surdez” (#40,347), “sésamo” (#40,349). Entre 1,185 lemas com “S”, “subtil” fica em #40,344. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around subtil (IPA /sub.ˈtiɫ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #40,344 among 1,185 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    tênue, fino
  2. 2
    agudo, penetrante
  3. 3
    que escapa ao tato

This word in other languages

subtle(English)sutil(Español)subtil(Français)subtil(Deutsch)

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.

sbutil2ssubtil1subbtil1subitl2subtill1subtli2subttil1sutbil2
Edit distance from "subtil"

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"?
"subtil" is spelled S-U-B-T-I-L. The IPA pronunciation is /sub.ˈtiɫ/.
What does "subtil" mean?
As an adjective, "subtil" means: tênue, fino
What words are commonly confused with "subtil"?
"subtil" is commonly confused with "sutil", "sutiã", "subir". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "subtil"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "subtil" is /sub.ˈtiɫ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "subtil" come from?
"subtil" 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 "subtil", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked Portuguese headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

surdez#40,347sésamo#40,349tapado#40,353quitar#40,305

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

serious9 variantsparreira9 variantsnoitada9 variantscarpet9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list