# pasta vs pesto

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### pasta
*noun · IPA /ˈpæs.tə/ · frequency rank #8,072*
Dough made from wheat and water and sometimes mixed with egg and formed into various shapes; often sold in dried form and typically boiled for eating.

### pesto
*noun · IPA /ˈpɛstoʊ/ · frequency rank #33,789*
A sauce, especially for pasta, originating from the Genoa region in Italy, made from basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and cheese (usually pecorino).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pasta-vs-pesto