# ciao

> English word · Interjection · IPA /t͡ʃaʊ/ · frequency rank #36,488

## Definitions
1. Hello, hi.
2. Bye, goodbye.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Italian ciao (“hello, goodbye”), from Venetan ciao (“hello, goodbye, your (humble) servant”), from Venetan s-ciao / s-ciavo (“servant, slave”), from Medieval Latin sclavus (“Slav, slave”), related also to Italian schiavo, English Slav, slave and Old Venetan S-ciavón (“Slav”), from Latin Sclavus, ultimately from Proto-Slavic *slověninъ. Not related to Vietnamese chào (“hello, goodbye”). Doublet of Slav and slave.

## Easily confused with
- **co** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ciao-vs-co)
- **cis** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ciao-vs-cis)
- **coo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ciao-vs-coo)
- **Civ** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ciao-vs-civ)
- **CPA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ciao-vs-cpa)
- **CID** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ciao-vs-cid)
- **CSA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ciao-vs-csa)
- **coa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ciao-vs-coa)
- **CMA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ciao-vs-cma)
- **cit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ciao-vs-cit)
- **CRO** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ciao-vs-cro)
- **CTO** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ciao-vs-cto)
- **cig** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ciao-vs-cig)
- **CTA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ciao-vs-cta)
- **CIF** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ciao-vs-cif)
- **CIP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ciao-vs-cip)
- **Clo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ciao-vs-clo)
- **city** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ciao-vs-city)
- **coal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ciao-vs-coal)
- **crap** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ciao-vs-crap)

## Common misspellings (3)
`caio`, `cciao`, `cioa`

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