andante

/ænˈdæn.ti/

//ænˈdæn.ti// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"andante" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“andante” is uncommon English (frequency #70,453 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#70,453
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A tempo mark directing that a passage is to be played in a moderately slow tempo; faster than adagio but slower than moderato.

Corpus desk

Index EN-andante · andante · English

andante · rank #70,453 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #70,453
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH ampicillin

Nearest frequency peer: ampicillin (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “andante”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “andante” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for andante
PropertyValue
Headwordandante
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ænˈdæn.ti/
Letters7
Frequency rank#70,453
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “andante” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).andantefalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “ampicillin” (#70,452), “amici” (#70,451), “animatronics” (#70,455). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “andante” is #70,453. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

andante is uncommon English at frequency #70,453 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ænˈdæn.ti/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for andante in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Italian andante. The correct English form is andante, spelled A-N-D-A-N-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A tempo mark directing that a passage is to be played in a moderately slow tempo; faster than adagio but slower than moderato.
  2. 2
    A passage having this mark.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how andante appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The music’s marking is andante, a delicate footfall.

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian andante.

This word in other languages

andante(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "andante"?
"andante" is spelled A-N-D-A-N-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ænˈdæn.ti/.
What does "andante" mean?
As a noun, "andante" means: A tempo mark directing that a passage is to be played in a moderately slow tempo; faster than adagio but slower than moderato.
How do you pronounce "andante"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "andante" is /ænˈdæn.ti/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "andante"?
Borrowed from Italian andante. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "andante", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Barthes#70,482battler#70,485Beeston#70,492Benares#70,495

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list