Portuguese (Brazil) · Pronunciation Guide

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

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

hoje is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ˈo.ʒi/. It means “today.” OH-zhee. Silent h at the front, soft "zh" in the middle, and the e raises to "ee."

OH-zhee. Silent h at the front, soft "zh" in the middle, and the e raises to "ee."

hoje /ˈo.ʒi/

Stress goes to the opening vowel. Because the h contributes nothing audible, the word behaves phonetically as if it were spelled "oje," and that matters for linking: a preceding word's final s or z will voice as though a vowel followed, which it effectively does.

Listen: hoje

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Sound it out

h Completely silent, as every word-initial h in Portuguese is. The word effectively begins on its vowel, which is why it links so smoothly onto whatever precedes it.

o A closed "oh" with the lips rounded, and it carries the stress. Hold it — this is the only substantial vowel in the word.

je The j is "zh," the s in "measure," and the unstressed e behind it raises to "ee." So the word ends "zhee," a soft palatal fade rather than a hard stop.

Hear it in a sentence

Hoje eu não trabalho.

I'm not working today.

Listen: Hoje eu não trabalho.

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"Hoje eu não trabalho" puts three vowel-initial or vowel-final words in a row at the start — "hoje eu" runs together as one glide — and then "não" adds its nasal diphthong before "trabalho" closes on an lh. It's a compact showcase of Portuguese linking.

Where English speakers slip

Aspirating the h gives "HOH-jay," which adds a sound and then compounds it with a hard English j and an unraised final e. Three errors in a two-syllable word. Silent h, soft "zh," raised "ee." Spanish speakers have "hoy," also with a silent h, so at least that half transfers cleanly.