Spanish word

hincapié

Pronunciation

IPA/iŋkaˈpje/

Meaning

  • masculine nounemphasis

Example

El profesor puso hincapié en la pronunciación.

The teacher put particular emphasis on pronunciation.

Illustration for hincapié (emphasis)

More examples

En la reunión, la directora hizo hincapié en la seguridad.

At the meeting, the director emphasized safety.

Core concept

A spotlight focused on a single point to highlight it.

Common phrases

  • hacer hincapié en

    emphasize

  • poner hincapié en

    place emphasis on

Similar words

énfasis: Highlights a point to show that it is important.
insistencia: Repeats the same point to insist on it.
recalco: Restates an earlier remark to reinforce it strongly.
acento: Pronounces a syllable or word more strongly to make it stand out.

Definition in Spanish

Señala la acción de enfatizar un punto para que sea más visible o relevante.

Word origin

It comes from hincar 'to drive in' plus pie 'foot', originally a literal action of pressing with the foot that develops a figurative sense of giving prominence to a point.

Usage tips

  • Subrayar and insistir en are common shorter alternatives to hacer hincapié en in everyday speech.

Opposites

  • minimizaciónminimizationnoun
  • desatencióninattentionnoun

Word lists with this word