The Portuguese alphabet has 26 letters, arranged from A to Z. Each letter can represent different sounds depending on the word and position. Letters are used to form syllables and words. Recognizing the letters is the foundation of reading.

The vowels of Portuguese are A, E, I, O, U. Vowels form the nucleus of the syllable and appear alone or with consonants. Each vowel can have different sounds depending on the word. Identifying vowels allows syllable separation.

Consonants are the other 21 letters of the alphabet. Consonants typically appear with vowels to form syllables. In Portuguese, many consonants change sound depending on context. Recognizing consonants helps with word reading.

A syllable is a group of sounds with a vowel nucleus. Words can have one or more syllables. Breaking syllables helps with reading, writing, and pronunciation. In Portuguese, the most common division is between consonant and vowel.

The letter A can have an open sound or a closer sound, depending on position and accent. Generally, stressed A at the beginning or with an accent sounds open. The unstressed A at word end tends to be more closed. The context of the word determines the most common pronunciation.

The letter E can have a closed sound, an open sound, and can be reduced in an unstressed syllable. Open E tends to appear with an accent or in certain endings. Closed E appears in many plurals and in words like ele. At the end of a word, E may be reduced in speech.

The letter O can have an open sound or a closed sound. The open O appears with an accent or in specific stressed syllables. The closed O appears in many endings and in words like bolo. At the end of a word, O may be more closed.

C and G change sound depending on the following vowel. With E and I, the sounds are closer to S and J. With A, O, and U, the sounds are harder, like K and G. This rule applies to basic word reading.

S and Z represent different sounds in writing. S usually has the sound of [s] and a [z] sound can appear between vowels with two letters, such as SS, or with Z. Z generally has the sound of [z] at the beginning and in the middle of words. The position in the word guides the letter choice.

NH and LH are digraphs that represent sounds unique to Portuguese. NH appears in words like NINHO and sounds nasal. LH appears in words like FILHO and forms a palatal sound. These digraphs do not separate in syllable division.

Writing vowels and consonants requires attention to the order of letters. In Portuguese, changing a vowel or a consonant generally changes the word. The correspondence between sound and letter is not always perfect, but following simple patterns already allows forming words. Practicing simple syllables helps to consolidate writing.