In this lesson you'll learn:
- How to read the pronunciation guides on this site
- The Portuguese alphabet
- The handful of sounds that make Portuguese sound Brazilian
- Nasal sounds like ão, and which syllable to stress
Good news: Portuguese is written almost exactly the way it sounds. Learn a few rules and you'll be able to read most words out loud, even ones you've never seen before.
How to use this site
Every Portuguese word comes with a "sounds like" guide written with English sounds. The syllable in CAPITALS is the one you stress.
| Portuguese | Sounds like | English |
|---|---|---|
| obrigado | oh-bree-GAH-doo | thank you |
| Brasil | brah-ZEEW | Brazil |
When a guide ends a syllable with ng, the vowel is nasal: let some air out through your nose, and don't really pronounce the "g".
Tap the 🔊 button next to a Portuguese word to hear it. It uses your device's built-in Brazilian Portuguese voice, so it's free and works offline. If you don't see any 🔊 buttons, your browser doesn't have a Portuguese voice installed; try Chrome, Safari or Edge.
The alphabet
Portuguese uses the same 26 letters as English. Here's what each letter is called, which is handy when someone asks you to spell your name.
| Letter | Portuguese | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| A | a | ah |
| B | bê | bay |
| C | cê | say |
| D | dê | day |
| E | é | eh |
| F | efe | EH-fee |
| G | gê | zhay |
| H | agá | ah-GAH |
| I | i | ee |
| J | jota | ZHAW-tah |
| K | cá | kah |
| L | ele | EH-lee |
| M | eme | EH-mee |
| N | ene | EH-nee |
| O | ó | aw |
| P | pê | pay |
| Q | quê | kay |
| R | erre | EH-hee |
| S | esse | EH-see |
| T | tê | tay |
| U | u | oo |
| V | vê | vay |
| W | dáblio | DAH-blee-oo |
| X | xis | shees |
| Y | ípsilon | EEP-see-lohng |
| Z | zê | zay |
K, W and Y only show up in names and words borrowed from other languages, like karatê and Wi-Fi. Portuguese also has ç (cê-cedilha, "c with a cedilla"), which always sounds like s.
Vowels and accent marks
Portuguese vowels are short and clear. Accent marks tell you two things: which syllable to stress and how to say the vowel.
| Mark | Portuguese | Sounds like | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| ´ acute | café | kah-FEH | stress here; open vowel, like "eh" in bed or "aw" in saw |
| ^ circumflex | você | voh-SAY | stress here; closed vowel, like "ay" in say or "oh" in go |
| ~ tilde | não | nowng | nasal sound |
| ç cedilla | açúcar | ah-SOO-kar | makes c sound like s |
The sounds that make it Brazilian
These are the rules that trip up beginners most. Learn them and you'll already sound more Brazilian than most textbooks.
| Rule | Portuguese | Sounds like | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| t before an "ee" sound → tch | noite | NOY-tchee | night |
| d before an "ee" sound → dj | dia | DJEE-ah | day |
| unstressed e at the end → ee | leite | LAY-tchee | milk |
| unstressed o at the end → oo | obrigado | oh-bree-GAH-doo | thank you |
| r at the start of a word, or rr → h | Rio | HEE-oo | Rio |
| carro | KAH-hoo | car | |
| single r between vowels → a quick tap | caro | KAH-roo | expensive |
| lh → ly, as in "million" | filho | FEE-lyoo | son |
| nh → ny, as in "canyon" | vinho | VEE-nyoo | wine |
| ch → sh | chá | shah | tea |
| x → often sh | abacaxi | ah-bah-kah-SHEE | pineapple |
| j, and g before e or i → zh, as in "measure" | janela | zhah-NEH-lah | window |
| gente | ZHEN-tchee | people | |
| h at the start is silent | hoje | OH-zhee | today |
| l at the end of a syllable → w | Brasil | brah-ZEEW | Brazil |
| s between vowels → z | casa | KAH-zah | house |
| ç → s | coração | koh-rah-SOWNG | heart |
Notice the difference between caro (expensive) and carro (car): one tap versus an h sound. It's one of the first things Brazilians notice in a learner's accent.
Regional accents: Brazil is huge, and accents vary from city to city. The guides on this site use a neutral, widely understood accent. In Rio de Janeiro, for example, an s at the end of a syllable sounds like sh: mais ("more") sounds like "MAISH". Both are correct, and everyone will understand you.
Nasal sounds
Nasal vowels are the most Portuguese sound of all. To make one, say the vowel while letting air out through your nose, like a gentle hum.
| Spelling | Portuguese | Sounds like | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ão | pão | powng | bread |
| ão | não | nowng | no |
| ã | maçã | mah-SAHNG | apple |
| õe | limões | lee-MOYNGS | lemons |
| m or n at the end of a syllable | bom | bohng | good |
| sim | seeng | yes | |
| um | oong | one |
Which syllable is stressed?
Most words follow two simple rules, and when a word breaks them, it gets an accent mark to tell you.
- Words ending in a, e, o (or as, es, os, am, em, ens) are stressed on the second-to-last syllable: CA-sa, GEN-te, o-bri-GA-do.
- Words ending in i, u, l, r, z or a nasal sound like ão or im are stressed on the last syllable: a-QUI, Bra-SIL, fa-LAR, fe-LIZ.
- An accent mark overrides both rules: ca-FÉ, MÚ-si-ca, vo-CÊ.
Practice
Read each word out loud using the rules above, then check yourself. Tap 🔊 to compare with the audio.
- tarde (afternoon)
- verdade (truth)
- trabalho (work)
- rua (street)
- amanhã (tomorrow)
- feliz (happy)
Show answers
- tarde: TAR-djee (d before an "ee" sound → dj)
- verdade: vehr-DAH-djee (stress on the second-to-last syllable)
- trabalho: trah-BAH-lyoo (lh → ly)
- rua: HOO-ah (r at the start → h)
- amanhã: ah-mah-NYAHNG (nh → ny, and a nasal ã)
- feliz: feh-LEES (ends in z, so the stress is on the last syllable)