Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

presto

/ˈpɹɛstoʊ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.92 in modern English

Syllables: presto
IPA: /ˈpɹɛstoʊ/

8

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

adv

Very fast or quickly; a directive for the musician(s) to play in a very quick tempo.

intj

Used by magicians when performing a trick; ta-da; voilà.

noun

A pair of fives as a starting hand in Texas hold 'em.

Slang; Uncountable

name

Example Sentences

"So I put my hand into the hat and presto! Out comes a rabbit!"
"You know the old man's ivory leg, well I dreamed he kicked me with it ; and when I tried to kick back, upon my soul, my little man, I kicked my leg right off! And then, presto! Ahab seemed a pyramid, and I, like a blazing fool, kept kicking at it."
"Then comes the chance to become a governess, first in St. John’s Wood, then, in a Sussex country house. And presto! Bronwen is transformed into “a wild tornado” hotly pursued by two Messrs. Right."

Etymology

From Italian presto (“quickly”).

Origin

Source language: Italian

Word Breakdown

Root: presto

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈpɹɛstoʊ/
British English: /ˈpɹɛstəʊ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Prestos (plural)

Phrases

hey presto presto change-o presto chango

Synonyms

alakazam hocus-pocus abracadabra hey pass hey presto kazaam presto presto chango shablam shazam

Rhymes With

manifesto pesto

Questions

How do you pronounce presto?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɹɛstoʊ/.
What does presto mean?: Very fast or quickly; a directive for the musician(s) to play in a very quick tempo.
Where does presto come from?: It is traced to Italian.

How to pronounce presto

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “presto”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈpɹɛstoʊ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “presto”.
Repeat and practice — Say “presto” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.