piano
/piˈænoʊ/noun, verb, adverb, adjective
piano is spelled P-I-A-N-O: 5 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 20 times per million words in written English, the 4,224th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, piano means “A percussive keyboard musical instrument, usually ranging over seven octaves, with white and black colored keys, played by pressing these keys…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of piano is pianos; Wiktionary also lists pianoes (archaic).
How many letters and syllables are in piano?
| Letters | 5: P-I-A-N-O |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 20 times per million words; the 4,224th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is piano?
Piano appears 20 times per million words in written English, the 4,224th 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 piano?
- UK /ˈpjænəʊ/
- UK /piˈænəʊ/
- US /piˈænoʊ/
As an adverb (“Softly, as a dynamic in a piece of music”): /piˈɑːnəʊ/, /ˈpjɑːnəʊ/, /piˈænoʊ/.
Piano has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-piano.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with piano?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as piano from its last stressed vowel (/ænoʊ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of piano
- pianos plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- pianoing participle, present
- pianoed participle, past
- more piano comparative
- most piano superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does piano mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A percussive keyboard musical instrument, usually ranging over seven octaves, with white and black colored keys, played by pressing these keys, causing hammers to strike strings.
The piano in his house takes up a lot of space.
verb
- 1
To play the piano.
- 2
To move (the fingers) up and down on, similar to the motions of a pianist playing the piano.
- 3
To equip with a piano.
- 4
To become softer and less intense.
adverb
- 1
Softly, as a dynamic in a piece of music.
(abbreviation) p
adjective
- 1
Soft, quiet.
- 2
Gentle, soft, subdued.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Piano in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 piano come from?
Clipping of pianoforte, from Italian pianoforte, from piano (“soft”) + forte (“strong”). So named because it could produce a wide range of varied volumes note-by-note, in contrast to older keyboard instruments, notably the harpsichord. Doublet of llano, plain, plane, and plan.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).