Portuguese · Difficult words
How to pronounce feio in Portuguese
feio
Ugly
Brazilian Portuguese; reference: Brazil · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.
feio is pronounced /ˈfej.u/ in Portuguese. In feio: Keep the tongue toward the front and sustain a single /e/ vowel. Listen for its exact height in the recording. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
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Find the sounds in feio
Read feio in these IPA segments: ˈfej · u. Dots and stress marks identify the boundaries shown in the reference; these symbols are not English spelling. The mark /ˈ/ comes immediately before the main stressed syllable. Give that syllable a little more prominence without swallowing the others.
1.A steady /e/ vowel
In feio: Keep the tongue toward the front and sustain a single /e/ vowel. Listen for its exact height in the recording.
Watch out: English “ay” often ends with a glide; do not automatically carry that glide into this vowel.
2.Back rounded vowels
In feio: Round your lips and keep the tongue toward the back. Follow the closer /u/ or more relaxed /ʊ/ quality written in the IPA.
Watch out: Avoid inserting a y sound before the vowel unless the IPA includes /j/.
Hear it in context
Que dia feio de chuva cinza.
What an ugly gray rainy day.
Listen once, say it aloud, then replay at 1.00×. Keep the word connected to the surrounding sentence rather than giving every syllable equal weight.
Pronunciation and variety
The recording uses a Brazilian Portuguese voice for feio. Portuguese in Portugal and other regions can differ in vowel reduction and consonants. The reference may list several realizations; the transcription here is selected for a Brazilian or unmarked pronunciation.
The English-style respelling is approximate. Use the IPA and recording together for vowel quality and consonants that do not have an exact English equivalent.
Meaning and everyday use
Questions about feio
How do you pronounce feio?
feio is pronounced /ˈfej.u/ in Portuguese. In feio: Keep the tongue toward the front and sustain a single /e/ vowel. Listen for its exact height in the recording. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
What should I listen for first?
In feio: Keep the tongue toward the front and sustain a single /e/ vowel. Listen for its exact height in the recording. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.
