The principal varieties, Krahô /ˈkrɑːhoʊ/[2] (Craó), and Canela /kæˈnɛlə/[2] (Kanela), have 2000 speakers apiece, few of whom speak Portuguese.
Timibira has been intensive contact with various Tupi-Guarani languages of the lower Tocantins-Mearim area, such as Guajajára, Tembé, Guajá, and Urubú-Ka'apór.
Ararandewára, Turiwára, Tupinamba, and Nheengatu have also been spoken in the area.
[5] The majority are included under Timbira: Ramirez et al. (2015) considers Timbira-Kayapó to be a dialect continuum, as follows:[6] Apart from Kapiekran, all Krao varieties are recognized by the ISO.
Under the Timbira group, Loukotka included several purported languages for which nothing is recorded: Kukoekamekran, Karákatajé, Kenpokatajé, Kanakatayé, Norokwajé (Ñurukwayé).