Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

canto

/ˈkæntoʊ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.81 in modern English

Syllables: can-to
IPA: /ˈkæntoʊ/

7

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

One of the chief divisions of a long poem; a book.

noun

The treble or leading melody.

noun

The designated division of a song.

noun

The Cantonese language.

Informal; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"I think most people born here can’t speak it, but they understand it. It’s so strange that my Chinese friends can speak Canto, and my Japanese friends can speak their language, but it doesn’t work that way for us here"
"In reaction to when the Chinese girls would speak Canto or Mando around us, we created a language – we came up with a language."
"But Mandarin is the bigger language anyway, not many other parts of China speak Canto."

Etymology

From Italian canto (“song”). Doublet of chant.

Origin

Source language: Italian

Word Breakdown

Root: canto

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈkæntoʊ/
British English: /ˈkæntəʊ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

cantos (plural)

Phrases

canto fermo

Frequently Paired Words

Cantopop Cantophone

Rhymes With

santo monsanto esperanto taranto abanto maranto bel canto tanto portmanteau panto manto lepanto

Questions

How do you pronounce canto?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkæntoʊ/.
What does canto mean?: One of the chief divisions of a long poem; a book.
Where does canto come from?: It is traced to Italian.

How to pronounce canto

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