Spanish · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "limpio" in Spanish?

Q: How do you pronounce limpio in Spanish?

limpio is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ˈlim.pjo/. It means “clean.” LEEM-pyoh, two beats — the io glides into one sound, so it is not "lim-pee-oh".

LEEM-pyoh, two beats — the io glides into one sound, so it is not "lim-pee-oh".

limpio /ˈlim.pjo/

LIM-pio: two syllables, and the first carries the beat because the io counts as a single diphthong and the word ends in a vowel. All four forms keep the same placement, and the verb "limpiar" moves the beat to the end — lim-PIAR — because it finishes in r, while keeping the same one-beat glide.

Listen: limpio

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Sound it out

lim A bright forward l, a tight "ee" as in "see", and an m. This is the stressed beat, and the vowel must not slacken toward "ih".

pio An unaspirated p, then the i glides straight into the o as a y sound. One beat, "pyoh", never "pee-oh".

Hear it in a sentence

El cuarto está limpio.

The room is clean.

Listen: El cuarto está limpio.

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"El cuarto está limpio" uses estar, since cleanliness is a state that changes. "Cuarto" packs its ua into one glide, KWAR-to, and contains a single tapped r. Both words in the pair "cuarto limpio" end in the same pure "oh", which English would want to reduce.

Where English speakers slip

Stretch the io into two syllables and you get "LIM-pee-oh" instead of a single glide. Then the stressed i gets slackened into the "ih" of English "limp", when Spanish wants a tight "ee". The p also wants an English puff of air. And a usage note: "limpio" describes the state, while "limpiar" is the action — do not use the adjective where a verb belongs.