NATION
How to pronounce
Portugal
POR·chuh·guhl
American /ˈpɔːr.tʃə.ɡəl/
Sound by sound
3 little beats. BIG = the stressed part.
- POR the ‘or’ in for — say this beat loudest
- chuh the relaxed ‘uh’ in sofa
- guhl the relaxed ‘uh’ in sofa
Talking about Portugal
The words that trip people up — what to call the team, the people, and the language.
- One person
- a Portuguese person
- The people / the team
- the Portuguese (the team: A Seleção, “the Selection”)
- As an adjective
- Portuguese
- The language
- Portuguese
The people, language, and adjective are all Portuguese — there’s no shorter word. The team is often called A Seleção das Quinas, after the five small shields (the quinas) on the national coat of arms.
Don’t say…
- por-CHOO-guhl
- POR-tyoo-gahl
- por-TOO-guhl
- POR·chuh·guhl — stress on POR
Where the name comes from
Portugal takes its name from the Latin Portus Cale — “port of Cale” — an ancient harbor settlement near today’s Porto. Portus means port; Cale is older and debated (possibly a Celtic word for harbor, or a local place-name). Portus Cale became Portucale, then Portugal, as the name spread from the city to the whole country.
- Capital
- Lisbon
- Confederation
- UEFA
- World Cup best
- 3rd place, 1966 (also 4th in 2006)
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 Portugal?
Portugal is pronounced POR·chuh·guhl in American English — 3 beats, with the stress on POR.
Where does the name Portugal come from?
Portugal takes its name from the Latin <em>Portus Cale</em> — “port of Cale” — an ancient harbor settlement near today’s Porto. <em>Portus</em> means port; <em>Cale</em> is older and debated (possibly a Celtic word for harbor, or a local place-name). Portus Cale became <em>Portucale</em>, then <em>Portugal</em>, as the name spread from the city to the whole country.
Where does the name “Portugal” come from?
From the Roman-era port of Portus Cale near modern Porto. The city’s name — “port of Cale” — gradually stretched to cover the whole country, becoming Portucale and then Portugal.
How do you say Portugal in American English?
POR-chuh-guhl, with the stress on the first syllable and the middle “tu” relaxing to a soft “chuh”.