Spanish · Food & drink
How to pronounce pupusa in Spanish
pupusa
a stuffed tortilla
Latin American Spanish · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.
pupusa is pronounced /puˈpusa/ in Spanish. In pupusa: Round your lips and keep the tongue toward the back. Follow the closer /u/ or more relaxed /ʊ/ quality written in the IPA. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
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Find the sounds in pupusa
Read pupusa in these IPA segments: pu · ˈpusa. Dots and stress marks identify the boundaries shown in the reference; these symbols are not English spelling. The mark /ˈ/ comes immediately before the main stressed syllable. Give that syllable a little more prominence without swallowing the others.
1.Back rounded vowels
In pupusa: Round your lips and keep the tongue toward the back. Follow the closer /u/ or more relaxed /ʊ/ quality written in the IPA.
Watch out: Avoid inserting a y sound before the vowel unless the IPA includes /j/.
2.An open vowel
In pupusa: Open the jaw for the a-like vowel shown in the IPA. Keep it continuous and follow the recording’s tongue position.
Watch out: Do not substitute the English diphthong in “day”.
3.A clear /s/
In pupusa: Let air pass through a narrow groove near the front of the mouth. Keep the sound unvoiced.
Watch out: Do not add voicing and turn /s/ into /z/.
Hear it in context
En el menú pone «pupusa».
The menu says “pupusa”.
Listen once, say it aloud, then replay at 1.00×. Keep the word connected to the surrounding sentence rather than giving every syllable equal weight.
Pronunciation and variety
This guide uses a Latin American Spanish model for pupusa. In Spain and other regions, individual consonants may differ. The linked reference records the source transcription; the audio provides one consistent practice model.
The English-style respelling is approximate. Use the IPA and recording together for vowel quality and consonants that do not have an exact English equivalent.
Questions about pupusa
How do you pronounce pupusa?
pupusa is pronounced /puˈpusa/ in Spanish. In pupusa: Round your lips and keep the tongue toward the back. Follow the closer /u/ or more relaxed /ʊ/ quality written in the IPA. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
What should I listen for first?
In pupusa: Round your lips and keep the tongue toward the back. Follow the closer /u/ or more relaxed /ʊ/ quality written in the IPA. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.
