Each word below is spelled identically across its meanings but pronounced differently.
The disambiguation key is the meaning (sense); the pos column is the descriptive
grammatical reading of that sense and may repeat (both senses of sede are nouns).
The diacritic convention used in this project encodes vowel quality:
| Diacritic | Vowel | Example |
|---|---|---|
| acute (ó/é/á) | open vowel /ɔ/, /ɛ/, /a/ | pára (stop) |
| circumflex (ô/ê) | closed vowel /o/, /e/ | pêlo (hair) |
| no diacritic | default / ADP reading | para (to), pelo (by) |
Canonical form: acordo
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| agreement (NOUN) | ɐˈkoɾdu | acôrdo | agreement, deal | O acôrdo de paz foi assinado. |
| wake (VERB) | ɐˈkɔɾdu | acórdo | I wake up (1st person of acordar) | Acórdo sempre cedo nos dias úteis. |
For non-native speakers: the NOUN "acordo" (closed-o) is what you reach after a negotiation — "agreement". The VERB "acórdo" (open-o) is "I wake up" (from the verb acordar). The stressed vowel shifts from closed /o/ to open /ɔ/.
Disambiguation: "acordo" after a determiner (o acordo, um acordo) is nearly always NOUN. Sentence-initial or after a pronoun (eu acordo, sempre acordo) is VERB.
Canonical form: acerto
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| settlement (NOUN) | ɐˈseɾtu | acêrto | correct answer, hit, success | Foi um acêrto de política económica. |
| adjust (VERB) | ɐˈsɛɾtu | acérto | I get right / I hit (1st person of acertar) | Acérto sempre nas previsões do tempo. |
For non-native speakers: "acerto" as a NOUN means something went right — a bull's-eye, a correct guess. As a VERB it means "I get it right / I hit the target".
Canonical form: cerro
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hill (NOUN) | ˈseʁu | cêrro | hill, knoll (literary/regional) | O gado pastava no cêrro. |
| shut (VERB) | ˈsɛʁu | cérro | I close / I lock (1st person of cerrar) | Cérro os olhos e adormeço. |
For non-native speakers: "cêrro" (closed-e) is a hillock or ridge, mainly used in rural/literary Portuguese. "Cérro" (open-e) means "I close", from the verb cerrar (to close/seal). Note: in most dialects this distinction is very subtle.
Canonical form: choro
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| weeping (NOUN) | ˈʃoɾu | chôro | weeping, crying; also a Brazilian music genre | O chôro da criança acordou todos. |
| weep (VERB) | ˈʃɔɾu | chóro | I cry (1st person of chorar) | Chóro quando vejo filmes tristes. |
For non-native speakers: "chôro" (NOUN, closed-o) is the act of crying, or — in Brazilian Portuguese — a lively instrumental music style. "Chóro" (VERB, open-o) is "I cry". Brazilian Portuguese speakers will recognise choro primarily as the music genre.
Canonical form: colher
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| spoon (NOUN) | kuˈʎɛɾ | colhér | spoon | A colhér de sopa ficou na gaveta. |
| harvest (VERB) | kuˈʎeɾ | colhêr | to gather, to harvest, to pick | Vou colhêr as maçãs amanhã. |
For non-native speakers: "colhér" (NOUN, open-e with written circumflex historically) is a spoon. "Colhêr" (VERB, closed-e, stress on the infinitive ending) means to harvest or to pick fruit/flowers. The VERB is an infinitive; most occurrences with a determiner before are NOUN.
Canonical form: começo
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| beginning (NOUN) | kuˈmesu | comêço | beginning, start | O comêço do projeto foi difícil. |
| begin (VERB) | kuˈmɛsu | comého | I begin / I start (1st person of começar) | Coméço sempre pelo mais difícil. |
For non-native speakers: "comêço" (NOUN, closed-e) is "the beginning". "Coméço" (VERB, open-e) is "I begin/start". Same pattern as many -ar verbs with 1st-person present in -o.
Canonical form: conserto
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| repair (NOUN) | kõˈseɾtu | consêrto | repair, fix | O consêrto do motor ficou caro. |
| mend (VERB) | kõˈsɛɾtu | consérto | I repair / I fix (1st person of consertar) | Consérto bicicletas no meu tempo livre. |
For non-native speakers: "consêrto" (NOUN) is a repair job — what you pay the mechanic to do. "Consérto" (VERB) is "I fix/repair". Do not confuse with concerto (musical concert, spelled with c).
Canonical form: coro
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| choir (NOUN) | ˈkoɾu | côro | choir, chorus; leather (archaic) | O côro da catedral ensaia às sextas. |
| blush (VERB) | ˈkɔɾu | córo | I roast/tan; I sing in chorus (1st person of corar) | Córo ao sol da tarde. |
For non-native speakers: "côro" (NOUN, closed-o) most commonly means choir or chorus of a song. "Córo" (VERB, open-o) is 1st-person of corar, meaning to blush, to tan/toast, or in older usage to tan leather.
Canonical form: corte
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| court (NOUN) | ˈkoɾtɨ | côrte | royal court, the retinue of a monarch (feminine: «a corte») | A côrte do rei reuniu-se no salão. |
| cut (VERB) | ˈkɔɾtɨ | córte | a cut/incision (masculine: «o corte»); also subjunctive of cortar | Um córte no dedo sangrou bastante. |
For non-native speakers: "côrte" (closed-o) is the royal court — grammatically feminine ("a côrte do rei"). "Córte" (open-o) is a physical cut/incision — masculine ("um córte no dedo") — and also the present subjunctive of cortar ("para que ele córte…" = "so that he cuts…").
Canonical form: forma
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mould (NOUN) | ˈfoɾmɐ | fôrma | baking mould, tin, pan | A fôrma do bolo de mel é redonda. |
| shape (VERB) | ˈfɔɾmɐ | fórma | manner, way; geometric shape; (he/she) forms (3rd person of formar) | Desta fórma é mais fácil. / O sol fórma colunas de ar quente. |
⚠ Important: The shape sense (open-o, ˈfɔɾmɐ) covers manner/way, geometric shape, and the 3sg of formar. Only the baking mould sense takes closed-o (ˈfoɾmɐ). The compound pão-de-forma (sandwich loaf) is always closed-o. Most occurrences of "forma" use the open-o shape reading.
For non-native speakers: think of "desta forma" (in this way), "forma geométrica" (geometric shape), "forma de vida" (way of life) — all the open-o shape sense. The baking mould is the special case requiring closed-o.
Canonical form: gosto
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| taste (NOUN) | ˈgoʃtu | gôsto | taste, flavour; preference, liking | Tem um gôsto refinado para música. |
| like (VERB) | ˈgɔʃtu | gósto | I like (1st person of gostar) | Gósto muito de música clássica. |
For non-native speakers: "gôsto" (closed-o) = the noun "taste" — "tem bom gosto" = has good taste. "Gósto" (open-o) = "I like" (verb).
Canonical form: gozo
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| enjoyment (NOUN) | ˈgozu | gôzo | enjoyment, pleasure; (legal) possession, use | Está no gôzo das suas faculdades mentais. |
| enjoy (VERB) | ˈgɔzu | gózo | I enjoy / I mock (1st person of gozar) | Gózo de boa saúde. |
For non-native speakers: "gôzo" (NOUN) covers enjoyment/pleasure and the legal right of use/enjoyment of property ("gôzo de direitos"). "Gózo" (VERB) is "I enjoy" or colloquially "I mock/tease someone". The verb gozar has a vulgar connotation in some dialects — context matters.
Canonical form: jogo
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| game (NOUN) | ˈʒogu | jôgo | game, match, play | O jôgo de futebol foi emocionante. |
| play (VERB) | ˈʒɔgu | jógo | I play (1st person of jogar) | Jógo xadrez aos fins de semana. |
For non-native speakers: "jôgo" (NOUN) is any kind of game — board game, football match, the act of gambling. "Jógo" (VERB) is "I play". Very high-frequency word; NOUN is far more common in text.
Canonical form: molho
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| sauce (NOUN) | ˈmoʎu | môlho | sauce, gravy (culinary) | O môlho de tomate ficou delicioso. |
| bundle (VERB) | ˈmɔʎu | mólho | bundle/bunch (of keys, straw); «de molho» (soaking); also 1sg of molhar | Trouxe um mólho de chaves. |
For non-native speakers: "môlho" (closed-o) is a culinary sauce. "Mólho" (open-o) is a bunch/bundle tied together ("um mólho de chaves" = a bunch of keys), the idiom "de molho" (soaking), and "I soak/drench" (1sg of molhar).
Canonical form: olho
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| eye (NOUN) | ˈoʎu | ôlho | eye | O ôlho esquerdo ficou vermelho. |
| look (VERB) | ˈɔʎu | ólho | I look at / I watch (1st person of olhar) | Ólho sempre antes de atravessar. |
For non-native speakers: "ôlho" (NOUN) is the anatomical eye and also used metaphorically ("olho da fechadura" = keyhole). "Ólho" (VERB) is "I look/watch". Extremely high-frequency; the NOUN is far more common.
Canonical form: para
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| purpose (ADP) | ˈpɐɾɐ | para | to, for, towards (destination/purpose) | Vou para casa. |
| stop (VERB) | ˈpaɾɐ | pára | stops, halts (3rd person of parar) | O autocarro pára aqui. |
For non-native speakers: "para" (ADP, unstressed) is one of the most common Portuguese prepositions — direction ("vou para o trabalho"), purpose ("para comer"), recipient ("é para ti"). "Pára" (VERB, stressed open-a) is "stops/halts". Written with acute accent before AO1990; today both are written "para".
Hard cases: "pára a medicação" (stops the medication) looks identical locally to "para a casa" (to the house). A sequence model is needed to distinguish these reliably.
Canonical form: pelo
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| by_the (ADP) | ˈpɨlu | pelo | by, through, along (contraction of por + o) | Passou pelo parque. |
| hair (NOUN) | ˈpelu | pêlo | body hair, fur, coat (of an animal) | O gato perdeu muito pêlo. |
| peel (VERB) | ˈpɛlu | pélo | I peel / I skin (1st person of pelar) | Pélo as batatas antes de cozinhar. |
For non-native speakers: "pelo" (ADP) = "by/through" — it contracts the preposition por with the article o. "Pêlo" (NOUN, closed-e) = fur, body hair. "Pélo" (VERB, open-e) = "I peel/skin". The ADP reading is overwhelmingly the most common.
Canonical form: peso
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| weight (NOUN) | ˈpezu | pêso | weight; burden; currency (several countries) | O pêso da mochila era enorme. |
| weigh (VERB) | ˈpɛzu | péso | I weigh (1st person of pesar) | Péso-me todas as manhãs. |
For non-native speakers: "pêso" (NOUN) is both the physical weight and the emotional burden of something, as well as the currency of several Latin American countries. "Péso" (VERB) is "I weigh (myself)". Also used figuratively: "péso as consequências" = "I weigh the consequences".
Canonical form: porto
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| harbour (NOUN) | ˈpoɾtu | pôrto | port, harbour; port wine | O navio entrou no pôrto ao amanhecer. |
| carry (VERB) | ˈpɔɾtu | pórto | I dock / I harbour (1st person of portar/portar-se) | Pórto-me sempre bem em reuniões formais. |
For non-native speakers: "pôrto" (NOUN) is a harbour where ships dock, and also the famous fortified wine from Portugal's Douro valley. "Pórto" (VERB) is 1st-person of portar-se (to behave oneself) — less common. Note: the proper noun "Porto" (the city) is always stressed as a NOUN.
Canonical form: posto
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| station (NOUN) | ˈpoʃtu | pôsto | post, position, station; petrol station | O pôsto de saúde fica ao fundo da rua. |
| post (VERB) | ˈpɔʃtu | pósto | I post/upload (1st person of postar) | Pósto fotos de viagem nas redes sociais. |
⚠ Passive participle note: The past participle of pôr (to put/place) is also "posto" — but it is pronounced with closed-o (ˈpoʃtu), same as the NOUN. "O livro foi posto na prateleira" = closed-o, even though it is grammatically a verbal form. Our scorer returns NOUN IPA for passive constructions to reflect this.
For non-native speakers: "pôsto" (NOUN) covers military/police posts, job positions, and petrol stations. "Pósto" (VERB, open-o) is the social-media / logistics sense — "I post/upload/deploy". "Foi posto" (was placed/put) = closed-o, like the NOUN.
Canonical form: rego
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| furrow (NOUN) | ˈʁegu | rêgo | irrigation ditch, furrow, groove | O rêgo de irrigação atravessa toda a herdade. |
| water (VERB) | ˈʁɛgu | régo | I water / I irrigate (1st person of regar) | Régo o jardim ao fim do dia. |
For non-native speakers: "rêgo" (NOUN) is the furrow left by a plough or an irrigation channel. "Régo" (VERB) is "I water (plants/fields)". Agricultural vocabulary — common in Alentejo and other farming regions.
Canonical form: seco
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| dry (ADJ) | ˈseku | sêco | dry (adjective) | O clima é sêco no verão. |
| dry_vb (VERB) | ˈsɛku | séco | I dry (1st person of secar) | Séco a loiça depois de lavar. |
For non-native speakers: "sêco" (ADJ, closed-e) describes something dry — dry weather, dried fruit, a dry wine. "Séco" (VERB, open-e) is "I dry (something)". Predicative use ("está seco") is ADJ; sentence-initial without a preceding article often means VERB.
Canonical form: sede
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| thirst (NOUN) | ˈsedɨ | sêde | thirst (physical or figurative) | Tenho muita sêde depois do exercício. |
| seat (NOUN) | ˈsɛdɨ | séde | headquarters, seat (of a company/institution) | A séde da empresa fica em Lisboa. |
For non-native speakers: "sêde" (closed-e) = thirst. "Séde" (open-e) = headquarters, the registered seat of an organisation. Both are nouns with different vowels — the only word here whose two senses share a POS, so it is separated by meaning cues (sede de X → thirst, sede da empresa → seat) rather than by grammar.
Canonical form: sobre
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| about (ADP) | ˈsobɾɨ | sobre | about, on, over (preposition) | Falaram sobre o projecto. |
| sail (NOUN) | ˈsobɾɨ | sôbre | nautical: high sail of a ship (rare) | Içaram o sôbre ao largar do porto. |
| leftover (VERB) | ˈsɔbɾɨ | sóbre | is left over (subjunctive/imperative of sobrar) | Sóbre sempre pão ao jantar. |
⚠ about and sail share the same IPA (ˈsobɾɨ, closed-o). The disambiguation that matters phonetically is about/sail vs leftover. The leftover reading (sobrar, to be left over / in excess) is less common and often sentence-initial. The sail sense is the homophone of the preposition; do not confuse it with sobra (surplus), which is a different word.
For non-native speakers: "sobre" as a preposition = "about/on/over" (very common). "Sôbre" as a noun = a ship's high sail (nautical, rare). "Sóbre" as a verb = "there is (something) left over" — "sóbre comida" = "there's food left over".
Canonical form: tola
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| foolish (ADJ) | ˈtolɐ | tôla | silly, foolish (feminine adjective); includes substantivised "a tola = the foolish one" | Que ideia tôla! |
| head (NOUN) | ˈtɔlɐ | tóla | colloquial: head/skull ("bater com a tola"); also tola hardwood | Bateu com a tóla na prateleira. |
For non-native speakers: "tôla" (ADJ, closed-o) describes something or someone as silly/foolish — "que tôla, esqueceu o guarda-chuva!" = "how silly, she forgot her umbrella!". "Tóla" (NOUN, open-o) is the colloquial word for head/skull ("bater com a tola" = to bump one's head), and also the African hardwood tola. Context resolves this: head-action verbs and locatives ("na tola") signal the NOUN; copular or exclamative use signals the ADJ.
Canonical form: torre
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| tower (NOUN) | ˈtoʁɨ | tôrre | tower (building, chess piece) | A tôrre de Belém é um monumento histórico. |
| roast (VERB) | ˈtɔʁɨ | tórre | (that) it toasts/roasts (subjunctive of torrar) | Quer que o pão tórre bem antes de servir. |
For non-native speakers: "tôrre" (NOUN) is a tower — the Eiffel Tower, a castle tower, or the rook in chess. "Tórre" (VERB, open-o) is the subjunctive of torrar (to toast, to roast): "para que tórre" = "so that it toasts". The NOUN reading is overwhelmingly more common.
Canonical form: transtorno
| Sense (pos) | IPA | Diacritized | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| disorder (NOUN) | tɾɐ̃ˈtoɾnu | transtôrno | inconvenience, disruption; (medical) disorder | O transtôrno causado pela greve foi enorme. |
| upset (VERB) | tɾɐ̃ˈtɔɾnu | transtórno | I disrupt / I disturb (1st person of transtornar) | Transtórno os planos quando chego tarde. |
For non-native speakers: "transtôrno" (NOUN) is both a practical inconvenience ("que transtôrno!") and a medical/psychological disorder ("transtorno de ansiedade"). "Transtórno" (VERB) is "I disrupt/disorder". The NOUN is far more common, especially in everyday speech and clinical contexts.