passacaglia
/ˌpasəˈkɑːlɪ.ə/
"passacaglia" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“passacaglia” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A form of historical Spanish or Italian dance characterised by a serious nature, triple meter, and use of a ground bass.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | passacaglia |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌpasəˈkɑːlɪ.ə/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “passacaglia” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
passacaglia is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌpasəˈkɑːlɪ.ə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for passacaglia in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Italian passacaglia, from Spanish pasacalle, from pasar (“to pass”) + calle (“street”). The correct English form is passacaglia, spelled P-A-S-S-A-C-A-G-L-I-A.
Definition
- 1A form of historical Spanish or Italian dance characterised by a serious nature, triple meter, and use of a ground bass.
- 2Any piece of classical music with similar characteristics.
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian passacaglia, from Spanish pasacalle, from pasar (“to pass”) + calle (“street”).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "passacaglia"?
What does "passacaglia" mean?
How do you pronounce "passacaglia"?
What is the origin of the word "passacaglia"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “passacaglia”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-A-S-S-A-C-A-G-L-I-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌpasəˈkɑːlɪ.ə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.