The Orthographic Agreement: Changes in European Portuguese Spelling

The Portuguese Language Orthographic Agreement of 1990 (Acordo Ortográfico da Língua Portuguesa de 1990, a.k.a. the Novo Acordo OrtográficoNew Orthographic AgreementCommunity ) came into effect in May 2009. Its goal was to standardize the spelling of Portuguese across Portuguese-speaking countries, particularly Brazil and Portugal. However, its implementation was met with criticism and many practical challenges.
First, let’s address a common misconception – this agreement did not unite Brazilian and European Portuguese spellings. In fact, it maintains the distinct existence of both graphic systems, while trying to bring the two closer together. There are still differences between the two systems, but they just happen to be covered by a single regulatory text.
This Learning Note is not about the differences between Brazilian and European Portuguese. Rather, we’ll focus on what changed in European Portuguese with the implementation of this agreement.
Despite widespread adoption in Portugal, particularly in education and official government documents, there are still those who choose to write the ‘old way’. This fact, along with every digital and physical text published before 2009, means you have a good chance of coming across different spellings for some of the words you’ve learned so far.

Changes Introduced

There were more changes introduced by the Acordo Ortográfico, but we’ll only cover the ones with the biggest impact, which we can divide into 4 categories:

Consonants c & p

The consonants c and p were eliminated from the words in which they aren’t pronounced. For example:

• acção → açãoactionCommunity
• egipto → o EgitoEgyptCommunity Slow audio Play audio Proper Noun, Singular, Masculine
• accionar → acionarto trigger, to put into actionCommunity Slow audio Play audio Verb
• redacção → a redaçãoessay, writing, editorial room, writing studioCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine
• projecto → o projetoprojectCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Masculine
• excepcional → excecionalexceptionalCommunity
• adopção → a adoçãoadoptionCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine

Other words maintain the c and p because they are pronounced. For example:

• a convicçãobeliefCommunity
• a opçãooptionCommunity
• egípcioEgyptianCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Adjective, Singular, Masculine
• factofactCommunity

Lastly, some words allow for two correct spellings because there can be different pronunciations. For example: sector/setor, característica/caraterística and acupunctura/acupuntura.
Consistency is important. If característica is written in one part of a text, it should continue to be spelled that way in the same text thereafter.

Accentuation

In some words, accent marks have been removed. Previously, these may have helped distinguish words with similar spellings but different pronunciations, meanings, or functions.
The accent is still obligatory on pôde (past perfect tense) to differentiate it from pode (present tense), as well as on pôr (infinitive verb) to differentiate it from por (preposition).

• Ele não pôde ir à festaHe wasn't able to go to the party.Community
• Ela não pode acordar tardeShe can't wake up lateCommunity Slow audio Play audio
• pôrto putCommunity Slow audio Play audio Verb
• porby, for, via, throughCommunity Slow audio Play audio Preposition, Singular

For words in which the penultimate syllable is stressed, the accent was eliminated on the diphthong oi:

• heróico → heroicoheroicCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective, Singular, Masculine
• a jóia→ a joiajewelCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine
• a bóia → a boiabuoyCommunity

For words in which the stress is on the last syllable, and monosyllabic words, the diphtong oi maintains the accent:

• dóiit hurtsCommunity Slow audio Play audio
• heróiheroCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Masculine

The accent mark ^ is removed from verb forms ending in –eem:

• eles dêem → eles deemthey giveconjuntivo > presenteCommunity
• eles lêem → eles leemthey readindicativo > presenteCommunity
• eles vêem → eles veemthey seeindicativo > presenteCommunity Slow audio Play audio View Conjugation Verb

The verbs ter, vir, and their derivatives keep the accent ^ in the 3rd person plural:

• eles têmthey haveindicativo > presenteCommunity
• eles vêmthey comeindicativo > presenteCommunity

Two correct spellings are allowed in the following cases:

• in the 1st person plural of the past perfect tense of -ar verbs – e.g. passámos / passamos & aprovámos / aprovamos
• in the 1st person plural of the present subjunctive of the verb dar – e.g. dêmos / demos
• in the word fôrma / forma (with the meaning of ‘mould’)

Hyphen usage

The hyphen was removed in the following cases:

• When words formed by prefixes or false prefixes end in a vowel and the second element begins with r or s, doubling the consonant.
  • antirrevolucionário (anti-revolutionary)
  • ultrassecreto (top secret)
  • contrarreação (counter reaction)
• When words formed by prefixes or false prefixes end in a vowel and the second element begins with a different vowel
  • extraescolar (after school, extracurricular)
  • autoestrada (highway)
  • agroindustrial (agro-industrial)
• When words are formed by the prefix co, even in cases where the second element begins with o
  • coadministração (co-administration)
  • codireção (co-direction)
  • coocorrência (co-occurrence)
• With the monosyllabic forms of the verb haver are followed by the preposition de
  • hei de
  • hás de
  • há de
  • heis de
  • hão de
• In these words:
  • paraquedas (parachute)
  • mandachuva (big boss)
• In phrases such as:
  • cartão de visita (business card)
  • fim de semana (weekend)

The hyphen is used in the following cases:

• When the prefix ends in a vowel and the second element begins with the same vowel
  • anti-inflamatório (anti-inflammatory)
  • o micro-ondas (microwave)
• In words with the prefixes hiper, inter and super, when the second element begins with r
  • hiper-realista (hyper-realistic)
  • inter-regional (inter-regional)
• When words formed by prefixes and a second element that begins with h
  • super-homem (superman)
• When words are formed by the prefixes ex, pós, pré, pró and vice
  • ex-deputado (ex-deputy)
  • pré-escolar (preschool)
  • vice-presidente (vice-president)
• Names of places beginning with grã and grão, or whose elements are linked by an article
  • Grã-Bretanha (Great Britain)
  • Albergaria-a-Velha
  • Trás-os-Montes
• In compound words for plants and animals
  • feijão-verde (green bean)
  • leão-marinho (sea lion)
• In other compound words such as
  • decreto-lei (decree-law)
  • azul-escuro (dark blue)
  • o Primeiro-Ministro (the Prime Minister)
  • conta-gotas (dropper)

Capitalization

The initial letter is not capitalized in the following cases:

• Names of the months and seasons, such as:
  • janeiro (January)
  • março (March)
  • verão (summer)
  • inverno (winter)
• Cardinal, collateral, and sub-collateral points (unless they designate specific regions or are abbreviated)
  • norte (north)
  • sudoeste (southwest)

Capitalization is optional in these contexts (except for proper names):

• Names of fields of knowledge, courses, and disciplines
  • direito / Direito (law / Law)
  • física / Física (physics / Physics)
• Titles of books or works (very first letter must be capitalized)
  • Charneca em Flor / Charneca em flor – Florbela Espanca
  • O Ano da Morte de Ricardo Reis / O ano da morte de Ricardo Reis – José Saramago
• Streets, public places, monuments, temples, and buildings
  • avenida da liberdade / Avenida da Liberdade
  • palácio de S. Bento / Palácio de S. Bento
• Forms of address spelled out in full
  • senhor doutor / Senhor Doutor
  • sua excelência / Sua Excelência
  • são Bento / São Bento

Implementation, Controversies, and Challenges

From 2009 to 2015, a transition period allowed gradual adaptation to the new spelling norms. During this period, old and new spellings coexisted. Even though the percentage of impacted words was relatively small, many journalists and authors resisted the changes. Linguists, scholars, writers, and figures from both Brazilian and Portuguese societies debated the legal value and application of the Acordo Ortográfico. Some argued its unconstitutionality, while others questioned its effectiveness and necessity, citing a lack of practical benefits and potential hindrance to clarity and consistency.
However, primarily due to its use in the education system and in the media, the new rules gradually took hold. Since the old spellings have now been deemed incorrect, learning and applying the new spellings has become essential for effective communication, especially in professional settings. That said, the Acordo Ortográfico is not legally binding. Using the old spelling does not constitute an illegal act, with the exception of official documents, which must comply with the new rules.
Even to this day, although the debate has died down, there are still people who refuse to write the ‘new way’. Thus, it is not uncommon to find articles and texts across the digital and physical world that use the old spelling.
Our platform generally adheres to the new spelling rules, as they are officially recognized. This choice was made for consistency and practicality and does not reflect any particular stance on the agreement itself. We hope this article will help you be prepared to encounter both old and new spellings during the learning process!