How to Pronounce Augusto Pinochet

Meaning and Context

Augusto Pinochet Ugarte was a Chilean Army General who seized power in a violent US-backed coup d'état on September 11, 1973, overthrowing the democratically elected socialist government of President Salvador Allende. Pinochet's subsequent military dictatorship, which lasted until 1990, established a brutal regime characterized by widespread human rights violations, including systematic torture, forced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings, most notoriously carried out by the Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional (DINA), the regime's secret police. His implementation of radical free-market economic reforms, guided by the "Chicago Boys," created a stark legacy of both profound socioeconomic transformation and deep societal inequality. The period of his rule remains a defining and deeply divisive chapter in modern Chilean history, with ongoing legal battles and the persistent struggle for memory and justice for the victims of his authoritarian regime.

Common Mistakes and Alternative Spellings

The standard and correct spelling is Augusto Pinochet. Common errors often involve misspellings of his surname. Frequent typos include "Pinochett" (adding an extra 't'), "Pinochét" (incorrectly adding an accent), or "Pinochet" (omitting the 't'). Another occasional error is misspelling his first name as "Agusto." In formal contexts, his full name includes his maternal surname: Augusto Pinochet Ugarte. Users searching for information may also encounter the Spanish-language convention of using an accent, "Pinochet," though in standard Spanish the surname is typically written without one. Searches combining his name with related terms like "junta," "dictatorship," "coup 1973," or "human rights abuses" are common.

Example Sentences

Historians continue to debate the complex legacy of Augusto Pinochet, whose economic policies reshaped Chile while his security apparatus committed grievous crimes against humanity.

Following international pressure, Augusto Pinochet was arrested in London in 1998 on a Spanish warrant for human rights violations, though he ultimately returned to Chile without facing a full conviction.

Many families of the desaparecidos (the disappeared) are still seeking answers about the fate of their loved ones during the Pinochet era.

The 1973 coup led by Augusto Pinochet remains one of the most pivotal and traumatic events in Latin American Cold War history.

Despite his death in 2006, the shadow of Pinochet's dictatorship continues to influence Chilean politics and society.

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