tema

/ˈte.mɐ/

//ˈte.mɐ// noun

The verdict

“tema” is in the everyday core of Portuguese, ranked #840 in Portuguese word frequency and used as a noun.

#840
frequency rank, Portuguese
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - assunto

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

tema vs ter
50% similar
tema vs teu
50% similar
tema vs tua
50% similar

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

Key facts for tema
PropertyValue
Headwordtema
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈte.mɐ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#840
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tema” 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). tema 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 tema is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈte.mɐ/. Corpus data places it at rank #840 in overall Portuguese word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for tema, with forms such as "etma", "team", and "temma". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ter", "teu", "tua", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct Portuguese form is tema, spelled T-E-M-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    assunto
  2. 2
    a principal melodia de uma peça musical
  3. 3
    coleção de esquemas de cores, sons, arte gráfica etc

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: etma,team,temma,tmea,ttema

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

etma2team2temma1tmea2ttema1
Edit distance from "tema"

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 "tema"?
"tema" is spelled T-E-M-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈte.mɐ/.
What does "tema" mean?
As a noun, "tema" means: assunto
What words are commonly confused with "tema"?
"tema" is commonly confused with "ter", "teu", "tua". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tema"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tema" is /ˈte.mɐ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "tema" come from?
"tema" is a Portuguese word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “tema”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is T-E-M-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈte.mɐ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “ter” - see the side-by-side comparison. tema vs ter
  • 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