Types of Pasta Trivia Word Search

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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