pesto

/ˈpɛstoʊ/

//ˈpɛstoʊ// noun

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

"pesto" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pesto” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #33,789. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,789
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A sauce, especially for pasta, originating from the Genoa region in Italy, made from basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and cheese (usually pecorino).

Corpus desk

Index EN-pesto · pesto · English

pesto · rank #33,789 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #33,789
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pertain

Nearest frequency peer: pertain (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “pesto”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “pesto” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

pesto vs pet
60% similar
pesto vs PST
0% similar
pesto vs PTO
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for pesto
PropertyValue
Headwordpesto
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɛstoʊ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#33,789
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pesto”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).pestolands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “pertain” (#33,788), “pecking” (#33,787), “PCA” (#33,786). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pesto” is #33,789. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around pesto (IPA /ˈpɛstoʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #33,789 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A sauce, especially for pasta, originating from the Genoa region in Italy, made from basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and cheese (usually pecorino).".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for pesto, with forms such as "epsto", "pesot", and "pessto". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pet", "PST", "PTO", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Appears 1850 in Cottage economy, attributed to William Cobbett (but not found in any editions published during his life). From Italian pesto, from Latin pistus (“crushed, pounded”), from Latin pīnsō (“to pound, beat, crush”). Cognate to pestle. The correct English form is pesto, spelled P-E-S-T-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A sauce, especially for pasta, originating from the Genoa region in Italy, made from basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and cheese (usually pecorino).

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Inside the house, Paul is in the kitchen bent over a bowl of pesto: thick shiny basil leaves, machete-crushed garlic cloves, pine nuts, onions roasted till their gold edges blacken, and the bright scent of lemon zest.

Etymology

Appears 1850 in Cottage economy, attributed to William Cobbett (but not found in any editions published during his life). From Italian pesto, from Latin pistus (“crushed, pounded”), from Latin pīnsō (“to pound, beat, crush”). Cognate to pestle.

This word in other languages

pesto(Español)pesto(Français)Pesto(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • epsto
  • pesot
  • pessto
  • pestto
  • petso
  • ppesto
  • pseto

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pesto - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

epsto2pesot2pessto1pestto1petso2ppesto1pseto2
Edit distance from "pesto"

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 "pesto"?
"pesto" is spelled P-E-S-T-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɛstoʊ/.
What does "pesto" mean?
As a noun, "pesto" means: A sauce, especially for pasta, originating from the Genoa region in Italy, made from basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and cheese (usually pecorino).
What words are commonly confused with "pesto"?
"pesto" is commonly confused with "pet", "PST", "PTO". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pesto"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pesto" is /ˈpɛstoʊ/. 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 "pesto"?
Appears 1850 in Cottage economy, attributed to William Cobbett (but not found in any editions published during his life). From Italian pesto, from Latin pistus (“crushed, pounded”), from Latin pīnsō (“to pound, beat, crush”). Cognate to pestle. 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 "pesto", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pasty#33,783nears#33,757nappy#33,754Myron#33,752

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

oppress7 variantsriser7 variantsMSRP7 variantsMossad7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list