Which to use
“preocupa” and “preocupar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,682
- “preocupa” frequency rank
- #16,948
- “preocupar” frequency rank
- 19630
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | preocupa | preocupar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de preocupar o de preocuparse. | Mantener fijo el pensamiento en un asunto o suceso negativo o perjudicial, que causa temor o inquietud. |
Where the eye mixes preocupa and preocupar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. preocupa runs 8 letters (CCVVCVCV) against preocupar's 9 (CCVVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between preocupa and preocupar
A purely visual mix-up. preocupa ([pɾeoˈkupa]) and preocupar ([pɾeokuˈpaɾ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “preocupa” sits inside “preocupar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19630, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
preocupa is recorded at frequency rank #2,682, classified as averb, pronounced [pɾeoˈkupa]. preocupar is at rank #16,948, tagged as averb, pronounced [pɾeokuˈpaɾ].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 19630, this pair ranks #262,915 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of preocupa vs preocupar
Shared letters: aceopru. Private to "preocupa": -. Private to "preocupar": -.
"preocupa" · 8 letters · shape CCVVCVCV · "preocupar" · 9 letters · shape CCVVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "preocupa" and "preocupar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "preocupa" vs "preocupar" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "preocupa" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "preocupar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #262,915 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "preocupa" and "preocupar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "preocupar vs preocuparon". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #262,915 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.