staccato
/stəˈkɑːtoʊ/
"staccato" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“staccato” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #48,506 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #48,506
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An articulation marking directing that a note or passage of notes are to be played in an abruptly disconnected manner, with each note sounding for a very short duration, and a short break lasting u...
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | staccato |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /stəˈkɑːtoʊ/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #48,506 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “staccato” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for staccato is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /stəˈkɑːtoʊ/. Corpus data places it at rank #48,506 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for staccato, with forms such as "satccato", "sstaccato", and "stacacto". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Italian staccato (“detached, disconnected”), past participle of staccare (“to detach, separate”), aphetic variant of distaccare (“to separate, detach”), from Middle French destacher (“to detach”), from Old French destachier (“to detach”), from… The correct English form is staccato, spelled S-T-A-C-C-A-T-O.
Definition
- 1An articulation marking directing that a note or passage of notes are to be played in an abruptly disconnected manner, with each note sounding for a very short duration, and a short break lasting until the sounding of the next note; as opposed to legato. Staccato is indicated by a dot directly above or below the notehead.
- 2A passage having this mark.
- 3Any sound resembling a musical staccato.
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian staccato (“detached, disconnected”), past participle of staccare (“to detach, separate”), aphetic variant of distaccare (“to separate, detach”), from Middle French destacher (“to detach”), from Old French destachier (“to detach”), from des- + atachier (“to attach”), alteration of estachier (“to fasten with or to a stake, lay claim to”), from estache (“a stake”), from Low Frankish *stakkā (“stake”), from Proto-Germanic *stakkaz, *stakô (“stick, stake”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teg- (“stick, stake”). Akin to Old High German stecko (“post”) (German Stecken (“stick”)), Old Saxon stekko (“stake”), Old Norse stakkr (“hay stack, heap”), Old English staca (“stake”). More at stake.
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: satccato,sstaccato,stacacto,stacato,staccaot,staccatto,stacctao,stcacato,sttaccato,tsaccato
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of staccato - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "staccato"?
What does "staccato" mean?
What are common misspellings of "staccato"?
How do you pronounce "staccato"?
What is the origin of the word "staccato"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “staccato”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-T-A-C-C-A-T-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /stəˈkɑːtoʊ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.