pizzicato

\pid.zi.ka.tɔ\

/\pid.zi.ka.tɔ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“pizzicato” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - Il se dit des passages que l’on exécute en pinçant les cordes d’un instrument dont on joue ordinairement avec un archet.

Corpus desk

Index FR-pizzicato · pizzicato · French

pizzicato · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "P" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for pizzicato
PropertyValue
Headwordpizzicato
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pid.zi.ka.tɔ\
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pizzicato” sits in French frequency

pizzicato falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

pizzicato is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \pid.zi.ka.tɔ\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Il se dit des passages que l’on exécute en pinçant les cordes d’un instrument dont on joue ordinairement avec un archet.".

Zero misspellings are on record for pizzicato in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is pizzicato, spelled P-I-Z-Z-I-C-A-T-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Il se dit des passages que l’on exécute en pinçant les cordes d’un instrument dont on joue ordinairement avec un archet.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. L’emploi du pizzicato est annoncé à la fin du trio.
  2. Au centre, il y a bien sûr Vivaldi. Mais aussi des pièces contemporaines en dialogue avec l’époque baroque. C’est le cas de Caroline Shaw, dont Limestone & Felt utilise des pizzicatos rappelant le théorbe.

This word in other languages

pizzicato(English)Pizzicato(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "pizzicato"?
"pizzicato" is spelled P-I-Z-Z-I-C-A-T-O. The IPA pronunciation is \pid.zi.ka.tɔ\.
What does "pizzicato" mean?
As a noun, "pizzicato" means: Il se dit des passages que l’on exécute en pinçant les cordes d’un instrument dont on joue ordinairement avec un archet.
How do you pronounce "pizzicato"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pizzicato" is \pid.zi.ka.tɔ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "pizzicato" come from?
"pizzicato" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list