presto
/ˈpɹɛstoʊ/adverb, interjection, noun
presto is spelled P-R-E-S-T-O: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,974th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, presto means “Very fast or quickly; a directive for the musician(s) to play in a very quick tempo” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in presto?
| Letters | 6: P-R-E-S-T-O |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 31,974th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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 presto?
Presto appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,974th 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 presto?
- UK /ˈpɹɛstəʊ/
- US /ˈpɹɛstoʊ/
Presto has 2 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-presto.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with presto?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as presto from its last stressed vowel (/ɛstoʊ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: poster, repost, esport.
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).
What does presto mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
Very fast or quickly; a directive for the musician(s) to play in a very quick tempo.
interjection
- 1
Used by magicians when performing a trick; ta-da; voilà.
So I put my hand into the hat and presto! Out comes a rabbit!
noun
- 1
slangA pair of fives as a starting hand in Texas hold 'em.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Presto in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense used by magicians:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | pronto! |
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 presto come from?
From Italian presto (“quickly”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).