Palabra Lexi · common words in Spanish
How to say "to search" in Spanish
"To search" in Spanish is buscar, pronounced boos-KAHR (stress on the syllable in capitals).
| Spanish | buscar |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | boos-KAHR |
| Meaning | to search |
| Part of speech | verb |
| Frequency | #104 in the Palabra list of common Spanish words |
Pronunciation is spelled out in English, one syllable at a time, with the stressed syllable in capitals. The speaker button uses your browser's built-in Spanish voice.
How to pronounce buscar
Buscar is pronounced boos-KAHR, in IPA /busˈkaɾ/. Buscar has two syllables, boos-KAHR, with the stress on the second. There is no written accent because the word follows the basic rule: words ending in a consonant other than -n or -s are stressed on the last syllable.
Listen: normal and slow speed, in your browser's Spanish voice. IPA: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.
Example sentences
Busco mis llaves
I'm looking for my keys
Busco mi coche
I look for my car
Ella busca trabajo
She is looking for a job
"To search" in Spain and Latin America
No word for "for": Busco mis llaves means "I'm looking for my keys".
Regional words and roots: Diccionario de la lengua española (RAE). Spanish varies by region, so treat these as the most common patterns, not strict rules.
How to remember buscar
buscar [boos-KAHR] sounds like the English “bus? car?”. Picture this:
You search everywhere — bus? car? — and the glasses ride on your own head.
A sound-alike plus a vivid scene is the keyword method, a well-studied way to learn vocabulary. How it works.
Practice buscar
Two quick games, right here: no sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere.