za

/ˈza/ ouvir^(fonte ?)

//ˈza/ ouvir^(fonte ?)/ prep

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

The verdict

“za” is a moderately-common Portuguese word, ranked #37,595 in Portuguese word frequency and used as a preposition.

#37,595
frequency rank, Portuguese
2
letters
8
confusable pairs

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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

za vs zé
50% similar
za vs zu
50% similar
za vs zen
33% similar

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

Key facts for za
PropertyValue
Headwordza
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechPreposition
IPA/ˈza/ ouvir^(fonte ?)
Letters2
Frequency rank#37,595
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “za” 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). za 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 za is 2 letters long, classified as a preposition, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈza/ ouvir^(fonte ?). Corpus data places it at rank #37,595 in overall Portuguese word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

za doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "zé", "zu", "zen", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct Portuguese form is za, spelled Z-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    durante
  2. 2
    por
  3. 3
    daqui a
  4. 4
    por
  5. 5
    atrás de, detrás de

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 "za"?
"za" is spelled Z-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈza/ ouvir^(fonte ?).
What does "za" mean?
As a preposition, "za" means: durante
What words are commonly confused with "za"?
"za" is commonly confused with "zé", "zu", "zen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "za"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "za" is /ˈza/ ouvir^(fonte ?). Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "za" come from?
"za" 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 “za”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is Z-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈza/ ouvir^(fonte ?) (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “zé” - see the side-by-side comparison. za vs zé
  • 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