Food & Cuisine

Types of Pasta Trivia Word Search

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Test your knowledge of Types of Pasta with a free trivia word search from thewordfind.com. Read each clue, work out the answer, then find it hidden in the letter grid — every puzzle is freshly generated, so no two plays are ever quite the same. Don't know an answer? Tap the hint button in-game to reveal the first letter, or just scan the grid — every answer is hiding in there somewhere. Between the clues and the full answer key below, this topic doubles as a quick study guide — good for a trivia night, a classroom quiz, or just picking up something new about Types of Pasta along the way.

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A smaller version of a rice-shaped soup pasta carries a diminutive form of that pasta's own name.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

A curled, ridged variant of a diagonally-cut tube pasta gets an Italian word for 'curly' added to its name: 'Penne _ _ _ _ _.'

This thick, spaghetti-like pasta from Lazio has a hollow center running through it, like a drinking straw.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Shaped like a spinning children's toy, this pasta's Italian name means exactly that.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Smaller and more rounded than a standard bow-tie shape, this soup pasta version has gentler curves.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

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This ruffled, curved pasta is shaped to resemble a barnyard bird's comb: 'Creste di _ _ _ _ _.'

GALLO

Named for an Italian princess, this ruffled-edge ribbon pasta comes from Naples.

MAFALDE

This hollow-cut pasta with cylindrical ridges takes its Italian name from the word for 'curls.'

RICCIOLI

This short, curved tube pasta's Italian name translates to 'half-size ones.'

MEZZANI

Thin and twisted, this Ligurian pasta is the traditional partner for a basil-based green sauce.

TROFIE

This coiled pasta shape takes its Italian name from the word for 'braid.'

TRECCIONI

This short, narrow tube pasta's Italian name oddly translates to 'large beans.'

FAGIOLONI

Thick, ring-shaped, and named for a small bird's eyes, this soup pasta reads: 'Occhi di _ _ _ _ _ _ _.'

PASSERO

Hailing from the Veneto region, this stuffed pasta comes with a variety of traditional fillings.

CASUNZIEI

A smaller, ruffled-sided cousin of a wider ribbon pasta, its name simply means 'little' version of that ribbon.

MAFALDINE

Simple and round, this soup pasta's Italian name is just the word for 'grain.'

GRANO

Square or folded and stuffed, this pasta's Italian name literally means 'little pies.'

TORTELLI

This small ring-shaped pasta from Sicily takes its name from the Italian word for 'small rings.'

ANELLI

Two strands twisted into a loose spiral give this pasta its name, which means 'twins' in Italian.

GEMELLI

Bread-crumb dumplings flavored with Parmesan and nutmeg, this dish's name traces back to a German word for dumpling.

CANEDERLI

Even smaller than the last, this ring-shaped soup pasta is named for a different bird's eyes: 'Occhi di _ _ _ _ _ _ _.'

PERNICE

This egg pasta from Abruzzo is cut using a wooden frame strung like a musical instrument: 'Spaghetti alla _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.'

CHITARRA

This furrowed, curved macaroni takes its Italian name from the word for 'elbow.'

GOMITI

Flat and stamped into a figure-eight or coin shape, this pasta from Liguria traces back to an old Genoese coin design.

CORZETTI

These semicircular or square stuffed pasta pockets originated in the Piedmont region.

AGNOLOTTI

Made of minuscule dots, this Ligurian soup pasta's name references a North African grain dish it resembles.

CUSCUSSU

This narrow Ligurian ribbon pasta is a slightly slimmer cousin of a wider egg-based ribbon noodle.

BAVETTE

This corkscrew-shaped macaroni takes its Italian name directly from the word for 'corkscrews.'

CAVATAPPI

Very small and irregularly shaped, this granular pasta is meant to thicken a simple broth.

GRATTINI

This thick, whole-wheat strand pasta from Italy's Veneto region was traditionally extruded by hand press.

BIGOLI

Shaped like a wagon wheel, this pasta's Italian name means 'little wheels.'

ROTELLE

Grooved and gently curved, this pipe-shaped pasta is named simply for its resemblance to plumbing: 'Pipe _ _ _ _ _ _.'

RIGATE

This very thin strand pasta hails from Naples, Genoa, and Liguria, and cooks in just a minute or two.

FEDELINI

Distinct from the potato dumpling of the same name, this dry pasta shape forms small lobed shells.

GNOCCHI

This bow-tie or butterfly-shaped pasta, popular across northern Italy, gets its name from the Italian word for butterflies.

FARFALLE

These small stuffed pasta 'bundles' are often filled with a sweet-and-savory mix of ricotta and pear.

FAGOTTINI

Tiny and rounded, this soup pasta is named after the Italian word for 'little mushrooms.'

FUNGHINI

These semicircular stuffed pasta pockets take their Italian name from the phrase 'half-moons.'

MEZZELUNE

This wide rectangular sheet pasta is layered with sauce and cheese and baked in the oven.

LASAGNE

These small, ridged tube pastas used in soup take their Italian name from a word meaning 'corals.'

CORALLI

A triangular, three-sided take on a diagonally-cut tube pasta shares most of that pasta's name.

TRENNE

This small stuffed egg pasta from Mantua takes its name from the Italian word for a tiny angel.

AGNOLINI

This extremely thin strand pasta from Liguria is often coiled into little nests before cooking.

CAPELLINI

Toasted into small pellets, this pasta from Israel is also widely known as Israeli couscous.

PTITIM

Shaped like the leaf of a tree prized for its oil, this southern Italian pasta's name spells it out: 'Foglie d'_ _ _ _ _.'

ULIVO

This thick, irregular, hand-rolled strand pasta hails from Tuscany and is often compared to a fat earthworm.

PICI

This spiral tube pasta's Italian name is simply the word for 'spirals.'

SPIRALI

This short, solid, shell-like pasta from southern Italy is often hand-formed by dragging dough with a finger.

CAVATELLI

Shaped like a large spiral shell, this pasta traps chunky sauce inside its curved shell, taking its name from a garden mollusk.

LUMACHE

Shaped like a tiny bell, this soup pasta's Italian name literally means 'surprise.'

SORPRESE

Even smaller than a coral-shaped soup pasta, this diminutive version shares nearly the same name.

CORALLINI

This flattened strand pasta's name literally means 'little tongues.'

LINGUINE

Tinier than most bead-shaped soup pastas, this pasta's name is also used as a catch-all term for the whole soup-pasta family.

PASTINA

This short, curled soup pasta from Sicily and Emilia-Romagna is oddly named after the Italian word for 'weed.'

GRAMIGNA

Slightly larger than macaroni and gently bent, this pasta's Italian name oddly means 'celery.'

SEDANI

A smaller version of a thin egg noodle, measuring just 12 to 15 millimeters long, carries a diminutive of that noodle's name.

FILINI

This simple flower-shaped pasta takes its name straight from the Italian word for 'flowers.'

FIORI

This medium-to-large tube pasta has square-cut ends and ridges running along its sides.

RIGATONI

Cut on the diagonal into short tubes, this pasta's name means 'pens' or 'feathers' in Italian.

PENNE

A smaller cousin of classic elbow macaroni, this pasta's Italian name means 'little crooked ones.'

STORTINI

Shaped like tiny squiggles, this soup pasta's Italian name refers to a kind of musical concord.

ARMONIE

About half the length of a larger ridged tube pasta, this shape's name literally means 'half-sleeves': 'Mezze _ _ _ _ _ _ _.'

MANICHE

Cut into rhombus shapes, these flat pasta ribbons take their name from the geometric term itself.

ROMBI

Large, ribbed, and hollow for stuffing, this pasta's name references a wild animal's eyes: 'Occhi di _ _ _ _.'

LUPO

Created sometime between the World Wars, this pasta is shaped like a household heating appliance.

RADIATORI

This bead-like, toasted soup pasta hails from Sardinia and is often used in fish broths.

FREGULA

Shaped like grains of rice, this versatile soup pasta's Italian name actually means 'barley.'

ORZO

Shaped like tiny stars, this soup pasta is a favorite in children's minestrone.

STELLE

This short, thick, twisted pasta from Sardinia gets its name from the Italian word for 'ringlets.'

BOCCOLI

This short, S-shaped, extruded pasta comes from Sicily and Campania.

CASARECCE

Roughly as long as it is wide, this short tube pasta's Italian name means 'thimbles.'

DITALI

This long, thick, corkscrew-shaped pasta is named after the Italian word for a spindle.

FUSILLI

This short, wide, curved macaroni is named after an Austrian crescent-shaped cookie.

CHIFFERI

An ancient flat pasta sheet considered a forerunner of a more famous layered baked dish shares this name.

LAGANE

This long Sicilian pasta is traditionally wound around a thin rod as it's shaped.

BUSIATE

Made with eggs, flour, and water, this thin noodle pasta shares its name across several Spanish-speaking cuisines too.

FIDEOS

A shorter version of a long corkscrew-shaped spiral pasta shares nearly the same root name.

ROTINI

Triangular with a bulging, stuffed center, this Ligurian pasta is traditionally filled with wild greens and herbs.

PANSOTTI

Long, narrow, hose-like tubes of this pasta are traditionally snapped by hand before cooking, hinting at festive occasions.

ZITI

This short, thick ribbon pasta comes from the Abruzzo and Molise regions of Italy.

SAGNETTE

This thin, ridged-on-one-side ribbon pasta is a classic partner for Ligurian pesto sauce.

TRENETTE

This short, coiled pasta shape is named after the Italian word for 'clouds.'

NUVOLE

Twisted at both ends like a wrapped sweet, this stuffed pasta's Italian name means exactly that treat.

CARAMELLE

Shaped like tiny pieces of lace, this delicate soup pasta takes its name from that craft.

MERLETTI

Slightly larger than a pepper-grain-shaped soup pasta, these tiny spheres are named after the Italian word for 'lead shot.'

PIOMBI

A miniature version of a small ring-shaped pasta, this soup pasta shares that name with a diminutive ending.

ANELLINI

A large, ridged tube pasta big enough for stuffing, this Campanian shape is named after a volcano near Naples.

VESUVIO

A hollow version of a popular corkscrew pasta, this Sicilian variant is named by adding a word for 'holed': 'Fusilli _ _ _ _ _ _.'

BUCATI

Tiny and bead-like, this soup pasta's name translates to 'grains of pepper': 'Acini di _ _ _ _.'

PEPE

French industrial designer Philippe Starck created this pasta shape for an Italian pasta maker in 1987.

MANDALA

Made from two sheets of dough pressed together around a filling, this is one of the most familiar stuffed pasta shapes worldwide.

RAVIOLI

A tightly coiled, smaller version of a spiral-shaped pasta carries a diminutive form of that same name.

SPIRALINI

This long, thin cylindrical pasta gets its name from the Italian word for 'little strings.'

SPAGHETTI

Hand-torn in strips from a sheet of dough, this Tuscan pasta's name reflects how it's ripped, not cut.

STRAPPONI

This flat Ligurian ribbon pasta, about 1.5 centimeters wide, is a regional cousin of tagliatelle.

PICAGGE

Designed in 1983 to resemble a rolling ocean wave in cross-section, this pasta shape was created by a car designer.

MARILLE

Bent or straight, this classic tube pasta's name traces back to a Greek word.

MACARONI

Legend says this Tuscan pasta's name joins the word for 'choke' with the word for these clergymen: '_ _ _ _ _.'

PRETI

This very large tube pasta from Naples is often served simply, topped generously with sauce.

PACCHERI

Cooked on a hot skillet rather than boiled, this ancient Tuscan pasta predates most other pasta shapes.

TESTAROLI
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