Suspechoso

Suspechoso is a term that appears in some Portuguese-language texts but is not part of standard Portuguese orthography. In most varieties, the adjective meaning “suspicious” or “likely to be involved in wrongdoing” is suspeito (masculine) or suspeita (feminine). The noun for a person who is under investigation is o suspeito (the suspect). The form suspechoso is generally considered nonstandard and is more likely to be found as a regional variant, a loan from another language, or a typographical error in formal writing.

Etymology and relation to other languages

The word derives from Latin suspectus, through the Romance language family. While Spanish uses sospechoso or sospechoso with a similar meaning, Portuguese standard usage diverges, favoring suspeito/suspeita. Because of this, suspechoso is usually not found in prescriptive Portuguese dictionaries and should be avoided in formal context to prevent confusion.

Usage and register

In formal or journalistic Portuguese, one should use suspeito to refer to a person under suspicion (o suspeito) or to describe suspicious conduct (comportamento suspeito). The nonstandard form suspechoso may appear in informal writing, old texts, or as a germinal error influenced by Spanish. When writing about legal proceedings, it is important to adhere to the standard terms: suspeito, suspeita, suspeitar, and related forms.

See also

Suspeito, suspeita, suspeitar, investigação criminal. For cognates in other languages, Spanish “sospechoso/sospechoso” and English “suspect/suspicious” are relevant references.