Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "perigoso" in Portuguese (Portugal)?

Q: How do you pronounce perigoso in Portuguese (Portugal)?

perigoso is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written [pɨɾi'gozu]. It means “dangerous.” Say "puh-ree-GOH-zoo" — the first e is nearly swallowed, and the s between vowels near the end buzzes like a z.

Say "puh-ree-GOH-zoo" — the first e is nearly swallowed, and the s between vowels near the end buzzes like a z.

perigoso [pɨɾi'gozu]

Stress falls on GO; the initial e reduces to a near-schwa, and s between vowels (here, -oso) is voiced to sound like z.

Listen: perigoso

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

Sound it out

pe A quick, weak "puh" — unstressed and reduced.

ri A clear "ree," with a light tapped r, similar to the r in "largo" or "pesado".

go A hard g as in English "go" — this is the stressed syllable, so keep the o fuller here than at the word's end.

so Between vowels, s is voiced, so this sounds like "zoo," not "soh" — plus the usual final -o reduction to "oo."

Hear it in a sentence

Este bairro é perigoso.

This neighborhood is dangerous.

Listen: Este bairro é perigoso.

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

"Este bairro é perigoso" (This neighborhood is dangerous) pairs naturally with the next entry, "seguro" (safe), since both describe the same kind of judgment about a place using "ser" for a general, standing characteristic. "Bairro" (neighborhood/district) is common vocabulary worth learning alongside adjectives like this one that frequently modify it.

Where English speakers slip

As with "pesado," learners often keep the s in "-oso" unvoiced, saying "peh-ree-GOH-soo" instead of the correct "peh-ree-GOH-zoo." Because English spelling doesn't flag this voicing shift, it's easy to default to the written "s" sound — but between vowels in Portuguese, s reliably becomes a z sound, and this rule applies consistently across both European and Brazilian Portuguese.