Ways to use this list
- Pasta night in two spins: one for the shape, then tap Pasta sauces and spin again for what goes on it.
- Italian lesson: spin a shape and translate its name, since farfalle, orecchiette and cappelletti all describe what they look like.
- Pasta crafts with little ones: spin a dried shape for each child to thread, glue or paint, from rigatoni necklaces to farfalle butterflies.
- Cupboard clear-out: type in only the shapes you have open, then spin to finish those half-empty packets one by one.
- Fresh pasta practice: spin Filled and baked and learn one handmade shape each weekend.
Press Spin the wheel, tap the game or press the Space bar. Change the list in the box as you
like: add your own, delete what doesn't suit you, or write *2 after an entry to give it double the
chance. The game buttons switch the same list to a duck race, hat, claw machine and more.
The full list (42 entries)
- Spaghetti – long, thin, round strands
- Linguine – flat, narrow strands; the name means "little tongues"
- Fettuccine – flat ribbons, a little wider than linguine
- Tagliatelle – flat egg ribbons from Emilia-Romagna
- Pappardelle – very wide ribbons for rich, meaty sauces
- Bucatini – thick spaghetti with a hole through the middle
- Capellini – very fine strands, also called angel hair
- Pici – thick hand-rolled spaghetti from Tuscany
- Mafaldine – wide ribbons with wavy edges
- Penne – short tubes cut on a slant
- Rigatoni – wide ridged tubes
- Ziti – long smooth tubes, often baked
- Paccheri – very large smooth tubes from Campania
- Macaroni – small curved tubes
- Cavatappi – ridged corkscrew tubes
- Garganelli – ridged tubes rolled from squares of egg pasta
- Calamarata – thick rings that look like sliced squid
- Fusilli – short spirals
- Rotini – short, tightly twisted spirals
- Gemelli – looks like two strands twisted together; the name means "twins"
- Casarecce – short rolled twists from Sicily
- Trofie – thin little twists from Liguria, served with pesto
- Farfalle – bow ties; the name means "butterflies"
- Conchiglie – shells that scoop up sauce
- Orecchiette – "little ears" from Puglia
- Cavatelli – small curled shells pressed with a finger
- Radiatori – ruffled shapes like tiny radiators
- Campanelle – little bells with frilly edges
- Rotelle – wagon wheels
- Orzo – rice-shaped pasta for soups and salads
- Ditalini – tiny tubes for soups
- Stelline – tiny stars for soup
- Anelli – small rings, baked with ragù in Sicily
- Fregola – small toasted balls from Sardinia
- Tortellini – small filled rings from Emilia-Romagna
- Ravioli – filled squares or circles
- Agnolotti – small filled pockets from Piedmont
- Cappelletti – filled "little hats"
- Tortelloni – bigger cousins of tortellini, often with ricotta and spinach
- Lasagne – wide flat sheets for layering and baking
- Cannelloni – large tubes for filling and baking
- Gnocchi – soft dumplings, usually made with potato
Questions people ask
Which pasta shape goes with which sauce?
Thin long pasta such as spaghetti suits olive oil and smooth tomato sauces, wide ribbons like pappardelle hold rich meat or cream sauces, and ridged tubes and twists catch chunky sauces and bake well. Tiny shapes belong in soups.
How many pasta shapes are there?
Italy has hundreds, and the same shape often has a different name from one region to the next, so nobody agrees on an exact number. This wheel keeps to over 40 shapes you can buy or make at home.
What is the difference between fresh and dried pasta?
Dried pasta is usually durum wheat semolina and water, shaped and slowly dried, and it keeps for months. Fresh pasta is often made with eggs and soft flour, cooks in 2 to 4 minutes and suits delicate sauces. Neither is better; they do different jobs.
Why do pasta shapes have such funny names?
Most names describe the shape in Italian: farfalle are butterflies, orecchiette little ears, conchiglie shells, linguine little tongues, cappelletti little hats and vermicelli little worms. Saying them out loud is half the fun of spinning.
Is gnocchi a type of pasta?
Not quite. Gnocchi are small dumplings, usually made from potato and flour, but they are cooked and sauced like pasta and sold right next to it, so they keep a place on the wheel.