preocuparonvspreocuparseTell them apart

Which to use

“preocuparon” and “preocuparse” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#43,783
“preocuparon” frequency rank
#6,719
“preocuparse” frequency rank
50502
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature preocuparon preocuparse
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de preocupar o de preocuparse. Tener el espíritu absorto en una inquietud, temor o desasosiego.

Where the eye mixes preocuparon and preocuparse

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.

11 ch
preocuparon
11 ch
preocuparse

Why the eye confuses preocuparon with preocuparse

A purely visual mix-up. preocuparon ([pɾeokuˈpaɾõn]) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50502, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

preocuparon is recorded at frequency rank #43,783, classified as averb, pronounced [pɾeokuˈpaɾõn]. 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 50502, this pair ranks #102,865 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of preocuparon vs preocuparse

Shared letters: aceopru. Private to "preocuparon": n. Private to "preocuparse": s.

"preocuparon" · 11 letters · shape CCVVCVCVCVC  ·  "preocuparse" · 11 letters · shape CCVVCVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • preocuparonperocuparon · ppreocuparon · precouparon · preoccuparon · preocpuaron · preocuapron · preocupaorn · preocuparno
  • preocuparseperocuparse · ppreocuparse · precouparse · preoccuparse · preocpuarse · preocuaprse · preocuparce · preocupares

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "preocuparon" and "preocuparse" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([pɾeokuˈpaɾõn] versus [pɾeokuˈpaɾse]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "preocuparon" or "preocuparse"?
"preocuparse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,719 in our Spanish list, against #43,783 for "preocuparon". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "preocuparon" 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 #102,865 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "preocuparon" and "preocuparse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "preocupaban 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 #102,865 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list