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Letters of the Alphabet

There are 23 letters in the Portuguese alphabet (not including diacritics).  The other 3 letters of the English alphabet are viewed as ‘foreign’ in Portuguese, but they still use them for certain ‘imported’ words such as ‘whiskey’ (although they sometimes spell this more phonetically using their own alphabet: ‘uísque’).

The Portuguese Alphabet (O Alfabeto Português)

A
(ah)
B
(beh)
C
(seh)
D (deh)
E
(eh)
F
(eff)
G
(ge[ay] - hard g as in ‘gold’; sometimes zhe[ay])
H
(agah) – hard g as in ‘gold’;
I
(ee)
J
(zhota)
L (el)
M
(em)
N
(en)
O
(oh) – as in ‘soft’
P (peh)
Q
(keh)
R
(err)
S
(ess)
T
(teh)
U
(oo)
V
(veh)
X
(sheesh) - ‘shees’ in Brazil (hence some fast-food places refer to a 'x-burger'!)
Z
(zeh)

Foreign Letters (Letras Estrangeiras)

K
(kappa) - sometimes just 'ka' (esp. in Brazil)
W
(doopluveh or dablyu)
Y
(ípsilon) – also known as 'i grego' (Greek 'i')

Comments
kappa, eegregu
Written by wilson on 2007-01-16 08:43:04 IP: 201.83.190.19
Ok, just a small comment: I don't think we here in Brazil ever say "kappa"; "cá" (ka) is certain to be understood. The same goes to Y: I have never heard "i grego" prior to researching on "português europeu". (I'm from São Paulo, by the way.)
You're right, Wilson.
Written by Krystoffer on 2007-02-25 09:21:12 IP: 201.89.146.55
We never say "kappa" or "eegregu" here in Brazil. K is known as "ka" (cá) and Y as "eepsilon" (ípsilon). 
 
We should remember, however, that this site's focus is on the European dialect, and does not necessarily need to bring in all the Brazilian alternatives. Even though Russell tries hard to always show them as well. ;) 
 
Krystoffer, from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Ç
Written by Dan on 2007-06-27 18:28:24 IP: 128.227.105.68
Thanks so much for making this site--it's been a Godsend for me as I prepare for a six-week solo trip to Portugal! 
 
One question: How is the character Ç called in Portuguese? I'd like to know how to refer to it in conversation. Thank you!
C Cedilla
Written by Administrator on 2007-06-28 16:39:30 IP: 80.3.252.130
Ç (C Cedilla) can be referred to as 'cê cedilhado'. The cedilla is often referred to as 'pequeno z' as well as 'cedilha'.
Written by Cláudia on 2009-03-30 19:42:04 IP: 89.180.75.204
Actually, most Portuguese people nowadays say "ípsilon" when they want to refer to the letter Y. "I grego" is used pretty much only by older people. I must confess I didn't know K was pronounced like "ka" in Brazilian Portuguese, though. 
 
Congrats on the site, by the way, it's spectacular. Had you not said you weren't a native speaker (or at least a language teacher) I wouldn't have guessed!


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