Spanish · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "preocupado" in Spanish?

Q: How do you pronounce preocupado in Spanish?

preocupado is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /pɾe.o.kuˈpa.ðo/. It means “worried.” preh-oh-koo-PAH-thoh, five beats — the e and o are separate syllables.

preh-oh-koo-PAH-thoh, five beats — the e and o are separate syllables.

preocupado /pɾe.o.kuˈpa.ðo/

Five syllables: pre-o-cu-PA-do, stressed on the second-to-last, following the default rule. The e-o hiatus at the start adds a syllable that English readers usually miss. The verb "preocuparse" keeps the same opening and moves the beat to PAR because of its r ending.

Listen: preocupado

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Sound it out

pre An unaspirated p joined to a single tap of the r, then a short "eh". Keep the p and r distinct rather than blurring them.

o A pure "oh" standing as its own syllable. Two strong vowels side by side never merge in Spanish, so the e and o stay apart with no accent needed.

cu A hard k with no puff of air and a pure "oo" as in "boot".

pa A second unaspirated p and a wide-open "ah" carrying the stress.

do A soft d between vowels and a final pure "oh".

Hear it in a sentence

Estoy preocupado por el examen.

I'm worried about the exam.

Listen: Estoy preocupado por el examen.

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"Estoy preocupado por el examen" needs "por" after the adjective — worried about is expressed with por. "Examen" is stressed ek-SA-men, second-to-last, with no accent needed since it ends in n. Its plural "exámenes" does need one.

Where English speakers slip

Squash the eo into one syllable and the word loses a beat, arriving as "pre-oh-cu-PA-do" or, worse, "pryo-cu-PA-do". Both vowels are strong and each takes its own beat. The English "preoccupied" also misleads in meaning — Spanish "preocupado" is worried, not distracted. And the preposition is "por", not "de" or "con".