Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

rubato

/rəˈbɑ.toʊ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.77 in modern English

Syllables: ru-ba-to
IPA: /rəˈbɑ.toʊ/

8

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A tempo in which strict timing is relaxed, the music being played near, but not on, the beat.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"The etudes with metronome markings should be played in tempo, all others should be considered rubato."

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian rubato (“robbed, stolen”), since the time is "borrowed".

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /rəˈbɑ.toʊ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

rubatos (plural) rubati (plural)

Derived Forms

rubatosis

Synonyms

tempo rubato

Questions

How do you pronounce rubato?: The recorded pronunciation is /rəˈbɑ.toʊ/.
What does rubato mean?: A tempo in which strict timing is relaxed, the music being played near, but not on, the beat.
Where does rubato come from?: Borrowed from Italian rubato (“robbed, stolen”), since the time is "borrowed".

How to pronounce rubato

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