Portuguese (Brazil) · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "claro" in Portuguese (Brazil)?

Q: How do you pronounce claro in Portuguese (Brazil)?

claro is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ˈkla.ɾu/. It means “of course.” KLAH-roo. A true l in the cluster, a single tapped r, and a final o that raises to "oo."

KLAH-roo. A true l in the cluster, a single tapped r, and a final o that raises to "oo."

claro /ˈkla.ɾu/

No accent is called for — the open a is loud by rule. As an adjective it agrees — "água clara," "olhos claros" — but in its most common conversational role, as a standalone "of course," it's frozen in the masculine singular and never changes, which is a useful shortcut.

Listen: claro

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Sound it out

cl Hard k with a real l right behind it — the l opens the syllable, so it keeps full tongue contact and does not vocalize to w the way a syllable-closing l would.

a Wide open, jaw down, and stressed. It's the longest sound in the word and the one carrying the emphasis when Brazilians use this as an exclamation.

ro One r between vowels means one flick of the tongue tip, quick and light. The o behind it raises to "oo," so the word ends softly.

Hear it in a sentence

Claro que sim!

Of course!

Listen: Claro que sim!

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"Claro que sim!" is a set phrase where "claro" works as an interjection. The "que" reduces to a quick "kee," and "sim" ends on a nasal vowel with nothing closing it — so the whole exclamation runs from a bright open a into a hum in three short beats.

Where English speakers slip

The r is where learners diverge: Spanish speakers roll it and English speakers curl it, when it should be one tap. The final o is the quieter error, left as "oh" by nearly everyone at first. There's also a register note — "claro" is warm and casual, so it fits conversation but reads as informal in writing.