NATION
How to pronounce
Brazil
bruh·ZIHL
Native [bɾaˈziw] → American /brəˈzɪl/
Sound by sound
2 little beats. BIG = the stressed part.
- bruh the relaxed ‘uh’ in sofa
- ZIHL the ‘ih’ in sit — say this beat loudest
Talking about Brazil
The words that trip people up — what to call the team, the people, and the language.
- One person
- a Brazilian
- The people / the team
- Brazilians (the team: the Seleção)
- As an adjective
- Brazilian
- The language
- Portuguese
Brazilians speak Portuguese — there is no language called “Brazilian”, a common slip. The national team’s nickname is the Seleção (seh-leh-SOW), Portuguese for “the selection”.
Like a local vs like an American
Don’t say…
- BRAH-zil
- bruh-ZEEL
- BRAY-zuhl
- bruh·ZIHL — stress on ZIHL
Where the name comes from
Brazil is named after a tree, not a person. Portuguese traders shipped home pau-brasil — “brazilwood” — a red dyewood whose name comes from brasa, the Portuguese word for glowing embers, for its ember-red heartwood. The land became “the place you get brazil(wood) from”, and the name stuck.
- Capital
- Brasília
- Confederation
- CONMEBOL
- World Cups won
- 5 (most of any nation)
Hear it for real
Say it out loud — and check it.
SayWaader listens to your pronunciation and tells you exactly what to fix, syllable by syllable.
Practice in the appFAQ
How do you pronounce Brazil?
Brazil is pronounced bruh·ZIHL in American English — 2 beats, with the stress on ZIHL.
Where does the name Brazil come from?
Brazil is named after a tree, not a person. Portuguese traders shipped home <em>pau-brasil</em> — “brazilwood” — a red dyewood whose name comes from <em>brasa</em>, the Portuguese word for glowing embers, for its ember-red heartwood. The land became “the place you get brazil(wood) from”, and the name stuck.
Is it spelled Brazil or Brasil?
Both. English spells it “Brazil”; Portuguese — including in Brazil itself — spells it “Brasil”. The pronunciation is the same idea; the American English version is bruh-ZIHL.
What do you call the Brazilian national team?
In English, “Brazil” or “the Brazilians”. Fans and commentators also use the Portuguese nickname the Seleção (seh-leh-SOW), and the team is famous for its yellow jersey, the <em>Amarelinha</em>.