Top Misspelled

This page contains a list of the top most commonly misspelled Italian words.

#1 - Pizza Margarita
(1.6 millon pages*)
Correct spelling: Pizza Margherita .
Notes: Contamination of the English word 'Margaret'. The wrong spelling is almost as popular in searches as the correct one (source: Google Trends).

#2 - Restorante
(537 thousand pages*)
Correct spelling: Ristorante.
Notes: Contamination of the English word 'restaurant'.

#3 - Foccacia
(246 thousand pages*)
Correct spelling: Focaccia .
Notes: The wrong spelling has been used in searches since the end of 2004 (source: Google Trends).

#4 - Osso Bucco
(233 thousand pages*)
Correct spelling: Osso Buco.
Notes: Literally: 'hollow bone', braised cross-cut veal shank (a Milanese dish). The wrong spelling is used in searches 2.5 times more than the correct one (source: Google Trends).

#5 - Proscuitto
(158 thousand pages*)
Correct spelling: Prosciutto .
Notes: Dry-cured ham. The wrong spelling has been used in searches since mid 2005 (source: Google Trends).

#6 - Cappicolla
(70 thousand pages*)
Correct spelling: Capicollo.
Notes: Literally: 'head-neck', a type of cold cut similar to 'coppa'. The wrong spelling probably derives from the southern Italian accent of the first Italo-American communities.

#7 - Arabiata/Arabiatta
(44 thousand pages*)
Correct spelling: Arrabbiata .
Notes: Literally: 'enraged', a spicy pasta sauce. 'Arabiata' is 3 times more common than 'Arabiatta'.

#8 - Caciatore
(28 thousand pages*)
Correct spelling: Alla cacciatora.
Notes: Literally: 'hunter-style', a common meat stew. 'Chicken caciatore' would literally mean 'hunter chicken' (as opposed to 'hunter's chicken', or 'hunter-style chicken').

#9 - Ciabbatta/Ciabbata
(25 thousand pages*)
Correct spelling: Ciabatta .
Notes: Literally: 'slipper', a type of bread. 'Ciabbatta' is 4 times more common than 'Ciabbata'.

#10 - Quattro Formaggio
(18 thousand pages*)
Correct spelling: Quattro Formaggi .
Notes: Literally: 'four cheeses', a type of pizza topping or pasta sauce. Quattro Formaggio is grammatically incorrect in Italian, as the numeral four ('quattro') requires a plural noun (formaggi). 'Quatro Fromaggio' (the inspiration for the name of this blog) derives instead from the contamination of the French word 'fromage'.


* Based on Google.

4 comments:

  1. Excellent, I'm responsible for some of those searches :?) I always liked "Italian" food, but after visiting friends who lived in Rome for a year and eating in Roma and Firenze, I fell in love with the food of Italy. (or at least the small part of Italy Iwe experienced.) What struck me was the simplicity and almost reverence for the ingredients. A few simple, fresh ingredients prepared in a way the makes you really notice what you're tasting and wonder, "Why have I never tasted this before? There's nothing here I haven't tried a dozen times before" Also the pride in the food, from the Fourno to the Norcia. In some ways it reminds me of the best the Pacific Northwest has to offer, except they've got a few thousand years head start.
    ~Loren

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  2. I LOVE this page! If I were to do the same with English words, I'd die way before I got halfway through! :) Enjoyed this, plus I learned something! Thanks!

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  3. Hi Paolo
    A pizza place in London, run by Bangladeshis, dropped a flyer off in our letterbox with a menu advertising a 'Pizza Chilli con Cane' - as opposed to caRne!
    ie. Dogmeat ha ha ha! I had to smile...

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  4. Hi Rum-Punch Drunk, that's so funny! Maybe they even used a spell-checker :)

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