# pesto

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpɛstoʊ/ · frequency rank #33,789

## Definitions
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).

## 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.

## Easily confused with
- **pet** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pesto-vs-pet)
- **PST** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pesto-vs-pst)
- **PTO** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pesto-vs-pto)
- **post** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pesto-vs-post)
- **Pete** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pesto-vs-pete)
- **pets** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pesto-vs-pets)
- **Petr** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pesto-vs-petr)
- **psst** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pesto-vs-psst)
- **photo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pesto-vs-photo)
- **posts** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pesto-vs-posts)
- **petty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pesto-vs-petty)
- **Porto** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pesto-vs-porto)
- **Plato** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pesto-vs-plato)
- **Pluto** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pesto-vs-pluto)
- **proto** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pesto-vs-proto)
- **pinto** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pesto-vs-pinto)
- **pistol** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pesto-vs-pistol)
- **Peyton** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pesto-vs-peyton)
- **piston** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pesto-vs-piston)
- **presto** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pesto-vs-presto)

## Common misspellings (7)
`epsto`, `pesot`, `pessto`, `pestto`, `petso`, `ppesto`, `pseto`

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