orzo
or·zo/ˈɔɹzoʊ/noun
orzo is spelled O-R-Z-O: 4 letters and 2 syllables (or·zo). It appears about once in every 17 million words in written English, the 124,184th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, orzo means “A form of pasta the size and shape of grains of rice or barley; often used in soups” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in orzo?
| Letters | 4: O-R-Z-O |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: or·zo |
| In writing | about once in every 17 million words; the 124,184th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is orzo?
Orzo appears about once in every 17 million words in written English, the 124,184th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce orzo?
- UK /ˈɔːzəʊ/
- UK /ˈɔːtsəʊ/
- US /ˈɔɹzoʊ/
Orzo has 2 syllables, split or·zo in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-orzo.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What does orzo mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A form of pasta the size and shape of grains of rice or barley; often used in soups.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Orzo in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense barley-shaped pasta used in soups:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Nudelreis |
| Spanish | orzo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does orzo come from?
Borrowed from Italian orzo (“barley”), from Latin hordeum, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰr̥sdeyom (“bristly”). Doublet of orgeat and horchata.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).