staccato

/stəˈkɑːtoʊ/

//stəˈkɑːtoʊ// noun

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

"staccato" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“staccato” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #48,506. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#48,506
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 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...

Corpus desk

Index EN-staccato · staccato · English

staccato · rank #48,506 · 10 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #48,506
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sry

Nearest frequency peer: sry (-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 “staccato”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “staccato” 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
Key facts for staccato
PropertyValue
Headwordstaccato
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/stəˈkɑːtoʊ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#48,506
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “staccato”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).staccatolands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “sry” (#48,505), “staid” (#48,507), “Srinivasan” (#48,504). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “staccato” is #48,506. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around staccato (IPA /stəˈkɑːtoʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #48,506 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    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 until the sounding of the next note; as opposed to legato. Staccato is indicated by a dot directly above or below the notehead.
  2. 2
    A passage having this mark.
  3. 3
    Any sound resembling a musical staccato.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. According to the syllable-timed hypothesis, Spanish syllables as staccato.
  2. The tumultuous noise resolved itself now into the disorderly mingling of many voices, the gride of many wheels, the creaking of waggons, and the staccato of hoofs.

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.

satccato2sstaccato1stacacto2stacato1staccaot2staccatto1stacctao2stcacato2
Edit distance from "staccato"

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"?
"staccato" is spelled S-T-A-C-C-A-T-O. The IPA pronunciation is /stəˈkɑːtoʊ/.
What does "staccato" mean?
As a noun, "staccato" means: 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...
What are common misspellings of "staccato"?
Common misspellings include "satccato", "sstaccato", "stacacto", "stacato", "staccaot". The correct spelling is "staccato".
How do you pronounce "staccato"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "staccato" is /stəˈkɑːtoʊ/. 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 "staccato"?
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 deta... 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 "staccato", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

solvable#48,493Tallulah#48,520sledding#48,487Siddiqui#48,479

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

Tannehill10 variantsthymus10 variantstramps10 variantsusefully10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list