urucum

/u.ɾuˈkũ/

//u.ɾuˈkũ// noun

The verdict

“urucum” is uncommon Portuguese (frequency #72,860 among 345 “U” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,860
frequency rank, Portuguese
345
“U” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - árvore (Bixa orellana) nativa das zonas tropicais da América do Sul até o México ao norte, endêmica e bastante disseminada no Brasil; o mesmo que urucuzeiro

Key facts for urucum
PropertyValue
Headwordurucum
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
IPA/u.ɾuˈkũ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#72,860
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “urucum” 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). urucum lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

urucum is uncommon Portuguese at frequency #72,860 among 345 “U” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /u.ɾuˈkũ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for urucum in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct Portuguese form is urucum, spelled U-R-U-C-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    árvore (Bixa orellana) nativa das zonas tropicais da América do Sul até o México ao norte, endêmica e bastante disseminada no Brasil; o mesmo que urucuzeiro
  2. 2
    corante vermelho obtido de sementes secas e trituradas do urucum para uso culinário ou cosmético, tanto doméstico quanto industrial
  3. 3
    um dos nomes pelos quais é conhecida a cobra Bothrops alternatus, o mesmo que urutu

Synonyms

urucuurucueirourucuubacoloraucotiaracruzeiracruzeirourutu-cruzeiro

This word in other languages

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 "urucum"?
"urucum" is spelled U-R-U-C-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /u.ɾuˈkũ/.
What does "urucum" mean?
As a noun, "urucum" means: árvore (Bixa orellana) nativa das zonas tropicais da América do Sul até o México ao norte, endêmica e bastante disseminada no Brasil; o mesmo que urucuzeiro
How do you pronounce "urucum"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "urucum" is /u.ɾuˈkũ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "urucum" come from?
"urucum" 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.

Using “urucum”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is U-R-U-C-U-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /u.ɾuˈkũ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more Portuguese words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Portuguese words

Other uncommon Portuguese words near this rank

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