# pasta

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpæs.tə/ · frequency rank #8,072

## Definitions
1. Dough made from wheat and water and sometimes mixed with egg and formed into various shapes; often sold in dried form and typically boiled for eating.
2. Dough made from wheat and water and sometimes mixed with egg and formed into various shapes; often sold in dried form and typically boiled for eating.
3. A dish or serving of pasta.
4. A type of pasta.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Italian pasta (“paste; pasta, noodles”), from Late Latin pasta (“dough, pastry cake, paste”), from Ancient Greek παστά (pastá, “barley porridge”), neuter plural of παστός (pastós, “sprinkled with salt”), from Ancient Greek πάσσω (pássō, “to sprinkle”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₁t- (“to shake”). Doublet of paste.
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *(s)kweh₁t-der.
Ancient Greek πάσσω (pássō)
Proto-Indo-European *-tós
Ancient Greek -τός (-tós)
Ancient Greek παστός (pastós)
Ancient Greek παστά (pastá)bor.
Late Latin pasta
Italian pastabor.
English pasta

## Easily confused with
- **pat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pasta-vs-pat)
- **PSA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pasta-vs-psa)
- **PST** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pasta-vs-pst)
- **PTA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pasta-vs-pta)
- **post** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pasta-vs-post)
- **path** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pasta-vs-path)
- **pest** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pasta-vs-pest)
- **pats** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pasta-vs-pats)
- **Pisa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pasta-vs-pisa)
- **pita** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pasta-vs-pita)
- **pate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pasta-vs-pate)
- **psst** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pasta-vs-psst)
- **posts** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pasta-vs-posts)
- **paste** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pasta-vs-paste)
- **Paula** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pasta-vs-paula)
- **Patty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pasta-vs-patty)
- **porta** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pasta-vs-porta)
- **pasty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pasta-vs-pasty)
- **pesto** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pasta-vs-pesto)
- **Patna** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pasta-vs-patna)

## Common misspellings (7)
`apsta`, `pasat`, `passta`, `pastta`, `patsa`, `ppasta`, `psata`

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