Which to use
“preocupar” and “preocuparse” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,948
- “preocupar” frequency rank
- #6,719
- “preocuparse” frequency rank
- 23667
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | preocupar | preocuparse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Mantener fijo el pensamiento en un asunto o suceso negativo o perjudicial, que causa temor o inquietud. | Tener el espíritu absorto en una inquietud, temor o desasosiego. |
Where the eye mixes preocupar and preocuparse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. preocupar runs 9 letters (CCVVCVCVC) against preocuparse's 11 (CCVVCVCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses preocupar with preocuparse
A purely visual mix-up. preocupar ([pɾeokuˈpaɾ]) and preocuparse ([pɾeokuˈpaɾse]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “preocupar” sits inside “preocuparse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23667, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
preocupar is recorded at frequency rank #16,948, classified as averb, pronounced [pɾeokuˈpaɾ]. preocuparse is at rank #6,719, tagged as averb, pronounced [pɾeokuˈpaɾse].
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 23667, this pair ranks #244,724 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of preocupar vs preocuparse
Shared letters: aceopru. Private to "preocupar": -. Private to "preocuparse": s.
"preocupar" · 9 letters · shape CCVVCVCVC · "preocuparse" · 11 letters · shape CCVVCVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- preocupar ← perocupar · ppreocupar · precoupar · preoccupar · preocpuar · preocuapr · preocuparr · preocuppar
- preocuparse ← perocuparse · ppreocuparse · precouparse · preoccuparse · preocpuarse · preocuaprse · preocuparce · preocupares
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "preocupar" for "preocuparse" ever safe?
Frequency check: "preocupar" vs "preocuparse" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "preocupar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "preocuparse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #244,724 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "preocupar" and "preocuparse" 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 #244,724 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.