Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

ritardando

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.11 in modern English

Syllables
ri-tar-dan-do
IPA
12
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
4
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

adv

Gradually decelerating the tempo of a piece of music, especially at the end of the piece.

adj

Having a gradually decelerating tempo.

noun

An instance of gradually decelerating the tempo of a piece of music.

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian ritardando, gerund of ritardare (“to delay, to slow down”).

Inflected Forms

rit (alternative) ritardandos (plural) ritardandi (plural)

Synonyms

ritard rallentando ritenuto rit.

Antonyms

accelerando

Questions

What does ritardando mean?
Gradually decelerating the tempo of a piece of music, especially at the end of the piece.
Where does ritardando come from?
Borrowed from Italian ritardando, gerund of ritardare (“to delay, to slow down”).

How to pronounce ritardando

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