# pesto vs piston

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### 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).

### piston
*noun · IPA /ˈpɪstən/ · frequency rank #15,677*
A solid disk or cylinder that fits inside a hollow cylinder, and moves under pressure (as in an engine) or displaces fluid (as in a pump)

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