spaghetti

IPA/spəˈɡeti/
KK[spəɡˈɛti]IPA/spəˈɡeti/

spaghetti — noun

1. a kind of thin, stick-shaped pasta that turns soft and bendable after being boil

1.nounA1
Definition

a kind of thin, stick-shaped pasta that turns soft and bendable after being boiled in water, usually served with a sauce on top

Example

Liam cooked spaghetti for his family on Sunday evening.

uncountable: 'some spaghetti' / 'a plate of spaghetti'

A bowl of spaghetti with tomato sauce is Léa's favourite dinner.

collocation: bowl of spaghetti

Common collocations
  • cook spaghetti
  • a plate of spaghetti
  • spaghetti bolognese
  • spaghetti carbonara
  • fresh spaghetti
Synonyms
  • pasta

    much broader category; spaghetti is one type of pasta, while 'pasta' covers all shapes (penne, fusilli, macaroni, etc.)

  • noodles

    less specific and usually refers to East Asian wheat or rice noodles, not Italian pasta

Usage Note

Spaghetti is an uncountable noun in English — you cannot say 'a spaghetti' or 'two spaghettis.' Instead, use 'some spaghetti,' 'a plate of spaghetti,' or 'a portion of spaghetti.' It is a specific type of pasta, distinct from wider flat shapes such as fettuccine or tagliatelle.

Common Mistakes

I ate a spaghetti for lunch.
I ate some spaghetti for lunch.
spaghetti is uncountable and cannot take the indefinite article 'a.'

Word family

  • spaghettini
    nounB2
  • spaghettoni
    nounB2
  • spag bol
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words refer to cooked flour-and-water mixtures, but they differ in shape, origin, and typical use. 'Pasta' is the broadest term, covering all Italian-style wheat dough shapes — spaghetti, penne, ravioli, and more. 'Noodles' usually refers to East Asian varieties (rice noodles, soba, ramen) and can be made from rice, buckwheat, or wheat without eggs. Within Italian pasta, 'spaghetti' refers specifically to round, thin, solid sticks about 2 mm thick. 'Fettuccine' and 'linguine' are also long pasta shapes but are flat and ribbon-like; fettuccine is wider (about 6–8 mm), while linguine is narrower and slightly thicker. Example: 'She ordered spaghetti bolognese, but her friend chose fettuccine with creamy mushroom sauce.'

pasta ↗noodles ↗fettuccinelinguine

Etymology

LatinItalianEnglish

The word 'spaghetti' comes from Italian, where it is the plural of 'spaghetto,' which means 'a little string.' 'Spaghetto' itself is a diminutive form of 'spago,' the Italian word for 'string' or 'twine.' The name describes the pasta's appearance — long, thin strands that look like little pieces of string.