International Word Games
Termo vs. Wordle: Rules, Strategies, and How to Master Portuguese Word Puzzles
With millions of daily players across Brazil and Portugal, Termo is a cultural phenomenon. Here is how its phonetic rules, accent conventions, and vocabulary differ from English Wordle.
What is Termo, and how is it different from Wordle?
Created by developer Fernando Serboncini, Termo is the official Portuguese counterpart to Wordle. While the core mechanic remains identical—guess a five-letter word in six attempts using green, yellow, and gray clues—Termo incorporates unique Portuguese linguistic rules, accent normalization, and multi-word game modes like Dueto and Quarteto.
How Accents and Special Characters Work in Termo
The Portuguese language features a rich variety of diacritical marks: acute accents (á, é, ó), circumflexes (ê, ô), tildes (ã, õ), and the cedilla (ç). To preserve game balance and avoid frustrating keyboard switches, Termo adopts an intuitive normalization system:
- Accent-Free Input: You enter guesses using standard unaccented keyboard keys (A-Z). When you type "A", the game automatically checks against accented variants (like Á, Ã, or Â) without requiring special key presses.
- Automatic Accent Display: If a letter with an accent is in the solution (for example, the "Á" in ÁGUA or the "Ã" in MAÇÃ), the game displays the correct accent on the tile once confirmed green or yellow.
- The "Ç" Rule: On the Portuguese virtual keyboard, the cedilla is usually unified with "C", ensuring seamless mobile typing across standard QWERTY setups.
Portuguese Letter Frequencies: Rethink Your Openers
Opening words that work brilliantly in English (such as CRANE or SLATE) are completely unhelpful in Portuguese. Letter frequencies in Portuguese vocabulary follow a distinct hierarchy:
- A — The undisputed king of Portuguese vowels, appearing in ~14.6% of all letter occurrences
- E — Appears in ~12.5% of running Portuguese text
- O — Appears in ~10.7% of words (critical for masculine endings)
- S — The most common plural marker and inflection consonant (~7.8%)
- R — High-frequency verb infinitive and syllable connector (~6.5%)
- I — Secondary vowel (~6.1%)
- N & M — Nasal syllable terminators (~5.0% and ~4.7%)
Notice that the letter K, W, and Y are historically foreign to Portuguese, appearing almost exclusively in loanwords and scientific terms. Testing them early is virtually always a wasted turn in Termo.
Best Starting Words for Termo
Based on statistical vowel coverage and consonant distribution, top-tier Termo opening guesses include:
- ÁUREO: Packs four distinct vowels (A, U, E, O) and the vital consonant R.
- TERMO: Features high-frequency consonants T, R, and M alongside vowels E and O.
- COISA: Tests three common vowels (O, I, A) and two powerhouse consonants (C, S).
- PRATO: Combines frequent consonants P, R, and T with vowels A and O.
Conquering Dueto and Quarteto
Beyond the classic daily puzzle, Termo features two beloved advanced modes:
- Dueto: You guess two independent words simultaneously using seven attempts. Each guess provides simultaneous feedback on both game boards.
- Quarteto: You guess four secret words simultaneously within nine attempts.
In Dueto and Quarteto, the single most common mistake is tunnel-visioning on one board while ignoring the others. The winning strategy is to spend guesses 1 and 2 playing complementary words (such as COISA followed by TERMO) to illuminate 9 or 10 distinct letters across all boards before committing to specific answers.