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trava-língua

Portuguese, noun/ˌtɾa.vɐˈlĩ.ɡwɐ/

trava-língua is a Portuguese masculine noun meaning “tongue-twister (phrase which is difficult to say)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) defines it as “desafio que consiste em falar repetidamente, com rapidez e clareza, expressões com sílabas difíceis de se…”.

What does trava-língua mean in English?

noun

  1. 1

    masculinetongue-twister (phrase which is difficult to say)

    Dizer "três tristes tigres" é um verdadeiro trava-língua.

Source: English Wiktionary, Portuguese section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How Portuguese dictionaries define it

noun: 1. desafio que consiste em falar repetidamente, com rapidez e clareza, expressões com sílabas difíceis de se pronunciar

The definition in the Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário), in Portuguese.

Source: Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.

Forms of trava-língua

  • trava-línguas plural

Source: English Wiktionary and Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).

How do you pronounce trava-língua?

  • Brazil /ˌtɾa.vɐˈlĩ.ɡwɐ/
  • Portugal /ˌtɾa.vɐˈlĩ.ɡwɐ/

Sources: English Wiktionary, Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.