Use of letters G and J: when to use correctly?

O use of letters G and J may raise doubts, since the syllables "ge" and "je" as well as "gi" and "ji" are homophones, that is, they have the same sound, as the letters G and J assume the same phoneme when they precede the vowels E and I. The spelling using the letters G and J takes into account the origin of the word in question, which raises many doubts about orthography. Here are some tips on when to use the letter G and when to use the letter J.

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When to use the letter G?

• Nouns ending in -agem, -igem and -ugem

Nouns ending in
-act	-ige	-howl
garage	soot	rust
tattoo	origin	down
travel	vertigo	grumpy

Remember if: don't confuse the substantive “travel” with the verb form “[they] travel”.

Exception:the word “page” is written with J.

• Words ending in -goodwill, -egio, -igio, -ogio, -ogio

Words ending in
-agio	-egio	-ige
wreck	school	prestige
Toll	privilege	prodigy
omen	sacrilege	trace
-overbearing	-ugio
clock	refuge

• Verbs ending in -ger and -gir

Verbs ending in
-ger	-turn
to elect	Act
protect	pretend
creak	run away

When to use the letter J?

In addition to being used before vowels A, O and U for the syllables "ja", "jo" and "ju" (sound that does not occur with the letter G in "ga", "go" and "gu"), the letter J, in the syllables "je" and "ji", also follows some trends.

• Tupi or African words

source words
tupi	African
hominy	jeguedê
boa constrictor	jeribat
shaman	Scarlet eggplant

• Words derived from other words spelled with J

It is the case when words that contain the syllables “ja”, “jo” or “ju” generate words with the syllable “je” or “ji”.

Words derived from others with J
crab	crab
Cherry	Cherry tree
Orange	orange
store	shopkeeper
retail	retailer

Other words with G

handcuffs	jelly	litigation
apogee	egg yolk	monk
peak	genealogy	nostalgia
beige	gum	original
spouse	son in law	psychological
courage	comic book	region
digital	sunflower	religion
praise	ideology	technology
foreign	imagination	Bowl
frost	indigenous	current

Other words with J

today	flatter
jeans	majestic
jackass	disgusting
donkey	objective
way	design
fast	project
Jericho	reject
jingle	subjective
jeep	dirt
jiricorn	path

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The use of the letters J and G can cause many doubts arising from the homophony generated when they are followed by E or I.

solved exercises

Question 1 - Check, in each item, if there are any words written outside the standard norm of the Portuguese language. If so, indicate which one.

A) fast, comic book, soot.

B) boa, design, peak.

C) litigation, flattering, prestige.

D) way, bowl, protect.

Resolution

A) “Soot” is written with a G.

B) “Jiboia” is written with J.

C) There are no words outside the standard norm.

D) “Protect” is written with a G.

Question 2 - Fill in the following blanks with "trip" or "journey" according to the context:

A) I hope you ______ come here soon, because I miss you.

B) We made a great ______! I'll show you the photos.

C) This ______ seems to have been quite expensive.

D) This place is wonderful! ______ over there, you won't regret it!

Resolution

A) “Viajem”, because it is a verbal conjugation (verb to travel conjugated in the 3rd person of the present subjunctive).

B) “Trip”, as it is a noun.

C) “Trip”, as it is a noun.

D) “Viajem”, because it is a verbal conjugation (verb to travel conjugated in the 3rd person of the imperative).

By Guilherme Viana
grammar teacher

Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/gramatica/emprego-das-letras-g-e-j.htm