The 174 most common Portuguese nouns
These are the 174 nouns among the 500 most common Portuguese words, in the order a corpus of everyday writing says you will meet them.
Meanings are given in English on this page. In the app they appear in your own language, translated on your device.
| # | Word | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | o ano | Nouns | year |
| 45 | o dia | Nouns | period between sunrise and sunset |
| 55 | a pessoa | Nouns | person (an individual being, especially a human) |
| 70 | a coisa | Nouns | thing (a physical object, entity, or situation) |
| 82 | o tempo | Nouns | time (the progression from the present into the future) |
| 86 | a vida | Nouns | state of being alive |
| 88 | o mundo | Nouns | world (the Universe) |
| 90 | a casa | Nouns | structure serving as an abode of human beings |
| 99 | o estado | Nouns | state (subdivision of a nation) |
| 103 | a cidade | Nouns | city, town |
| 104 | a vez | Nouns | time; occasion |
| 111 | o trabalho | Nouns | job (economic role for which a person is paid) |
| 116 | a hora | Nouns | hour (period of sixty minutes) |
| 120 | a mulher | Nouns | woman (adult female human) |
| 121 | a forma | Nouns | form; shape (the visible structure of a thing) |
| 122 | o deus | Nouns | god; deity |
| 128 | o nome | Nouns | name |
| 129 | o amigo | Nouns | friend (person whose company one enjoys) |
| 130 | a foto | Nouns | photo; photograph |
| 134 | o grupo | Nouns | group |
| 139 | o país | Nouns | country; nation (a sovereign polity) |
| 149 | o homem | Nouns | male (human of masculine gender) |
| 150 | a história | Nouns | history |
| 156 | a mãe | Nouns | mother (female who gives birth to or parents a child) |
| 159 | a tinha | Nouns | ringworm |
| 165 | o problema | Nouns | problem |
| 167 | a noite | Nouns | night (period between sunset and sunrise) |
| 170 | o jogo | Nouns | play |
| 171 | o olhar | Nouns | gaze; stare; look |
| 175 | a cara | Nouns | face |
| 176 | o momento | Nouns | moment (very brief period of time) |
| 177 | o lugar | Nouns | place (a location or position) |
| 182 | a semana | Nouns | week (period of seven days) |
| 184 | o lado | Nouns | side |
| 186 | a conta | Nouns | operation, calculation |
| 192 | a família | Nouns | family |
| 198 | o mês | Nouns | month |
| 202 | a verdade | Nouns | truth (conformity to fact or reality) |
| 206 | a área | Nouns | area; region; place (a geographical location) |
| 207 | a música | Nouns | music (melodic and rhythmic sounds made as art) |
| 209 | o presidente | Nouns | president (head of state of a republic) |
| 211 | o ponto | Nouns | point, a specific spot, location, or place |
| 214 | a volta | Nouns | return (act of returning) |
| 215 | o vídeo | Nouns | video |
| 216 | o local | Nouns | premises, rooms |
| 217 | o fim | Nouns | end, conclusion, closure |
| 224 | o projeto | Nouns | project (planned endeavor) |
| 225 | a criança | Nouns | child (young person) |
| 226 | o número | Nouns | number (quantity) |
| 227 | a escola | Nouns | school (institution dedicated to teaching and learning) |
| 229 | o filho | Nouns | son (male offspring) |
| 232 | o sistema | Nouns | system |
| 236 | a água | Nouns | water (H₂O) |
| 239 | o acordo | Nouns | agreement |
| 241 | a informação | Nouns | information |
| 245 | o filme | Nouns | film; movie; motion picture |
| 246 | a região | Nouns | region, district |
| 247 | o pai | Nouns | father (male who sires a child) |
| 252 | a empresa | Nouns | company; business |
| 253 | o programa | Nouns | computer instructions |
| 254 | o irmão | Nouns | brother (male sibling) |
| 260 | a lei | Nouns | law |
| 262 | o vão | Nouns | a gap |
| 263 | a morte | Nouns | death (cessation of life) |
| 270 | o janeiro | Nouns | January |
| 271 | a relação | Nouns | relation, connection, association |
| 273 | a terra | Nouns | land; region; territory (area associated with something) |
| 275 | a rede | Nouns | net (mesh behind the goal frame) |
| 280 | o dinheiro | Nouns | money (means of exchange and measure of value) |
| 281 | o amor | Nouns | love |
| 283 | a força | Nouns | force; strength |
| 284 | a palavra | Nouns | unit of language |
| 285 | a frente | Nouns | front (facing side) |
| 287 | o senhor | Nouns | a man (an adult male human) |
| 288 | a mão | Nouns | hand |
| 290 | o centro | Nouns | centre (middle of anything) |
| 295 | o serviço | Nouns | service |
| 297 | a guerra | Nouns | war (organised, large-scale armed conflict) |
| 298 | o exemplo | Nouns | example (all senses) |
| 300 | a equipe | Nouns | team |
| 301 | o sul | Nouns | south (cardinal point) |
| 303 | o evento | Nouns | event; occurrence (something that happens) |
| 305 | a política | Nouns | politics |
| 307 | o americano | Nouns | American (native of the Americas) |
| 309 | o processo | Nouns | process (series of events to produce a result) |
| 312 | o professor | Nouns | teacher (a person who teaches professionally) |
| 313 | a série | Nouns | series |
| 317 | o corpo | Nouns | body |
| 318 | a causa | Nouns | cause, reason |
| 323 | a rua | Nouns | street; road (paved path) |
| 328 | a segurança | Nouns | security; safety (condition of not being threatened) |
| 334 | a população | Nouns | population (all senses) |
| 336 | a falta | Nouns | lack |
| 339 | o uso | Nouns | use |
| 341 | o ex | Nouns | ex (an ex-husband, ex-wife or ex-partner) |
| 344 | o menino | Nouns | boy (a young male) |
| 345 | a feira | Nouns | market |
| 347 | a cabeça | Nouns | head (part of the body) |
| 348 | a polícia | Nouns | police |
| 349 | a ação | Nouns | action |
| 350 | a imagem | Nouns | image; picture |
| 351 | a universidade | Nouns | university |
| 356 | o campo | Nouns | country; countryside |
| 357 | o pessoal | Nouns | staff, personnel |
| 360 | a obra | Nouns | construction (process of constructing, building) |
| 363 | a maneira | Nouns | manner; way (particular method of doing something) |
| 364 | o olho | Nouns | eye |
| 365 | o povo | Nouns | people |
| 367 | a ajuda | Nouns | help, assistance, aid |
| 369 | o oficial | Nouns | officer, official |
| 372 | o plano | Nouns | plane (level or flat surface) |
| 375 | o membro | Nouns | member (one who officially belongs to a group) |
| 376 | o desenvolvimento | Nouns | development (process of developing) |
| 377 | a questão | Nouns | question (phrase asking for information) |
| 379 | a ideia | Nouns | idea (that which comes to mind) |
| 382 | o início | Nouns | beginning (initial portion of some extended thing) |
| 385 | o minuto | Nouns | minute (60 seconds) |
| 391 | a base | Nouns | basis |
| 392 | o carro | Nouns | cart (vehicle drawn or pushed by a person or animal) |
| 393 | o fato | Nouns | a set of clothing traditionally worn together |
| 394 | a atenção | Nouns | attention |
| 397 | o gosto | Nouns | taste (one of the five senses) |
| 399 | o norte | Nouns | north (compass point) |
| 401 | o time | Nouns | a team |
| 406 | o papel | Nouns | paper |
| 414 | a manhã | Nouns | morning |
| 415 | a fala | Nouns | speech (the ability to speak) |
| 416 | a internet | Nouns | alternative letter-case form of Internet |
| 420 | o espaço | Nouns | interval of time |
| 421 | o valor | Nouns | value |
| 422 | a língua | Nouns | tongue |
| 423 | a situação | Nouns | situation (one's status with regard to circumstances) |
| 425 | a linha | Nouns | line (a string, a thread) |
| 426 | o movimento | Nouns | movement (physical motion) |
| 428 | o branco | Nouns | argent |
| 429 | o nível | Nouns | level |
| 430 | a sociedade | Nouns | society (group of people sharing culture) |
| 435 | o chamado | Nouns | calling |
| 437 | a prova | Nouns | examination; test |
| 438 | a festa | Nouns | party |
| 439 | a cultura | Nouns | arts |
| 442 | o coração | Nouns | heart (organ of the body) |
| 444 | a produção | Nouns | production |
| 445 | o futebol | Nouns | football, soccer |
| 446 | o médico | Nouns | consulting room, clinic |
| 448 | a mensagem | Nouns | message (concept or information conveyed) |
| 449 | o estudo | Nouns | study (mental effort to acquire knowledge or learning) |
| 453 | a paz | Nouns | peace |
| 454 | o artigo | Nouns | article (story, report, or opinion piece) |
| 458 | a pena | Nouns | feather |
| 459 | a maioria | Nouns | majority (more than half) |
| 460 | o entanto | Nouns | only used in no entanto |
| 464 | o assunto | Nouns | subject, topic, theme |
| 466 | o negócio | Nouns | affair (that which is done or is to be done) |
| 468 | o caminho | Nouns | path |
| 469 | a organização | Nouns | organization; order (the condition of being organized) |
| 471 | o futuro | Nouns | future (the time ahead) |
| 472 | o baixo | Nouns | bass (instrument that plays in the bass range) |
| 476 | o outubro | Nouns | October (month) |
| 477 | o texto | Nouns | writing |
| 478 | a ordem | Nouns | order (arrangement, disposition) |
| 482 | a educação | Nouns | education |
| 483 | o filhos | Nouns | children |
| 484 | o março | Nouns | March |
| 487 | o técnico | Nouns | specialist |
| 489 | a página | Nouns | page (piece of paper) |
| 490 | o período | Nouns | period (geochronologic unit of millions years) |
| 491 | a decisão | Nouns | decision |
| 492 | o quarto | Nouns | quarter; fourth (one of four parts of a whole) |
| 493 | a filha | Nouns | daughter |
| 494 | o porto | Nouns | port |
| 496 | o junho | Nouns | June |
| 499 | a arte | Nouns | art |
| 500 | a certeza | Nouns | certainty (state of being certain) |
All 500 A1 words are on this page, free, with no sign-up.
The rest of the list
- A2A2 Beginner: 500 more wordsimportar · mundial · fechar · voz · tecnologia
- B1B1 Intermediate: 750 more wordsmáximo · avisar · cedo · pobre · governador
- B2B2 Upper intermediate: 750 more wordspresidência · senado · cadeira · conexão · desempenho
A2 to B2 are part of Oqou Pro, in the app, where you can also send any word straight into spaced review and meet it again on the day you are about to forget it.
Where this comes from
The order is measured: it comes from how often each word appears in a large corpus, counted across all the forms of a word rather than each form separately, so a verb is ranked where you really meet it. The band edges are a convention rather than a measurement. Nothing says word 501 is harder than word 500; the levels are cut where established graded reader series cut theirs.
wordfreq 3.1 (frequency order) + en.wiktionary via kaikki.org (part of speech, gender, gloss). Corpus read on 2026-09-16.
Questions
Where does the order come from?
From how often each word appears in a large corpus of everyday writing. Frequency is counted across all the forms of a word and attributed to the dictionary form, so a verb is ranked where a reader really meets it rather than being spread thinly over a dozen endings.
Why are these lists shorter than the ones with 5,000 or 10,000 words?
Because past about 2,500 a frequency rank stops meaning much. Rank 6,000 in a web corpus is not a harder word, it is a word that happens to be common in journalism. Established graded reader series top out near 2,500 headwords for the same reason.
Is every word in the list a real dictionary word?
Yes. Every headword is checked against the language's own Wiktionary entry, which is where the part of speech, the gender and the meaning come from. That check is what removes the proper nouns, single letters and corpus noise that raw frequency lists are full of.
Do I need the app?
Not for this page. The A1 list is free here and free in the app. A2 to B2 are part of Oqou Pro, and the app is also where a word can go from a list into a review queue, which is the part a page cannot do.
Has a native speaker checked these?
Not yet. The frequency order and the part of speech are mechanical, and the meanings come from a dictionary rather than being written by hand, but nothing here has been through native review. If you spot a meaning that is technically right and practically useless, we would like to hear about it.