The Portuguese Alphabet: Pronunciation Guide for US English Speakers
Every letter with a US-English cue
| Letter | Portuguese name | Sounds like | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | á | "ah" in father | casa (house) |
| B | bê | b in bag | bom (good) |
| C | cê | k before a/o/u, s before e/i | casa, cinco |
| D | dê | d, but "jee" before i/e in Brazil | dia (jee-ah) |
| E | é | "eh" (open) or "ee" (unstressed) | ele, cidade |
| F | éfe | f in fun | feliz |
| G | gê | g before a/o/u, "zh" before e/i | gato, gelo |
| H | agá | silent | hoje (OH-zhee) |
| I | i | "ee" in see | vida |
| J | jota | "zh" like in measure | já (zhah) |
| K | ká | k (loan words) | karaoke |
| L | éle | l, but "w" at end of syllable | Brasil (bra-ZEEW) |
| M | éme | m, or nasalizes vowel at word end | bom (bõw) |
| N | éne | n, or nasalizes vowel | bem (bẽy) |
| O | ó | "oh" (open) or "oo" (unstressed) | ovo (OH-voo) |
| P | pê | p in spot (no puff) | pai |
| Q | quê | always followed by u; k sound | quero (KEH-roo) |
| R | érre | H sound at start, tap between vowels | Rio (HEE-oo), caro (KAH-roo) |
| S | ésse | s at start, z between vowels | sopa, casa |
| T | tê | t, but "chee" before i/e in Brazil | tia (CHEE-ah) |
| U | u | "oo" in food | uva |
| V | vê | v in van | vamos |
| W | dáblio | w (loan words) | website |
| X | xis | sh, ks, z, or s — depends on word | xícara, táxi, exame, próximo |
| Y | ípsilon | ee (loan words) | yoga |
| Z | zê | z in zoo | zebra |
The four sounds English doesn't have
1. ão — the nasal diphthong
Say "ow" (as in "how") and then push the air through your nose while you say it. That's ão. It's in tons of everyday words: não (no), pão (bread), coração (heart), irmão (brother).
2. lh — the palatal L
Close to the "lli" in "million" or "ll" in Spanish "llamar". Push your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Words: filho (son), trabalho (work), melhor (better).
3. nh — the palatal N
Close to the "ny" in "canyon" or Spanish ñ. Words: banho (bath), vinho (wine), senhor (mister).
4. r / rr — the H-like R
Brazilian R at the start of a word is a raspy H, closer to the "h" in "hot" than any English R. Rio, rato, rua. Doubled rr does the same: carro (KAH-hoo), ferro (FEH-hoo).
Vowel stress rules (short version)
Portuguese stresses the second-to-last syllable by default. If a word breaks that rule, it carries a written accent: café, lápis, água. Learn the accent as part of the word and you'll pronounce it correctly forever.
Practice this today
Read these out loud, slowly: coração, filho, banho, Rio, café, não, obrigado. If you can say those seven cleanly, you can pronounce 80% of everything else you'll meet.
Frequently asked questions
How many letters are in the Portuguese alphabet?
26 — the same as English. K, W, and Y were officially added in the 2009 spelling reform (they were always used for foreign words and names, but are now considered part of the alphabet).
Is Portuguese pronunciation phonetic?
Mostly, yes. Once you learn the rules, you can read almost any word aloud correctly. The trickiest exceptions are unstressed vowels and the letter x, which has four different sounds depending on the word.
What are nasal vowels?
Vowels pronounced with air also flowing through the nose. Portuguese marks them with ~ (ão, õe) or with an m/n after the vowel (bem, som). Think of the French 'non' or the American English 'huh?' — that nasal buzz is what you want.
Why does the letter R sound different in Portuguese?
At the start of a word or when doubled (rr), Brazilian R sounds like an English H — 'Rio' sounds like 'HEE-oh'. Between vowels it's a light tap, closer to the middle 'tt' in American 'butter'.
