zucchero filato
/ˈd͡zuk.ke.ro fiˈla.to/masculine
Cotton candy in Italian is zucchero filato. Wiktionary also lists cotone dolce.
Meaning: spun sugar confectionery (noun)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| zucchero filato | /ˈd͡zuk.ke.ro fiˈla.to/ /ˈt͡suk.ke.ro fiˈla.to/ |
masculine |
| cotone dolce | /koˈto.ne ˈdol.t͡ʃe/ (word by word) | masculine |
The term refers to the spun sugar confectionery. For example, you can say zucchero filato al gusto di limone to mean lemon cotton candy.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase zucchero filato literally means 'spun sugar'.
Which one should you use?
Zucchero filato is the standard and most common way to say cotton candy. In contrast, cotone dolce is a literal translation of the English term and is much less common.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both zucchero filato and cotone dolce are masculine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈdzuk.ke.ro fiˈla.to/. The word has 5 syllables and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- The word zucchero shares a distant ancestor with the English word 'gravel'. This connection traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'gravel' or 'small stones', which referred to the granular texture of sugar.
- In Italy, zucchero filato is strongly associated with the sagra, which are local food festivals celebrating a specific ingredient.
- The word filato is the same term used in the Italian textile industry to describe 'spun yarn'.
Examples in context
- Tom mangiò troppo zucchero filato.Tom ate too much cotton candy.This sentence shows how to express that someone ate too much of the confectionery using zucchero filato.Tatoeba #4487198 by Guybrush88, translation #1027048 by CK
- Ho sentito che è appena stato aperto un negozio di zucchero filato. Andiamo, ragazzi.I heard a cotton candy shop has just opened. Let's go, dudes.This sentence is useful for mentioning the opening of a shop that sells zucchero filato.Tatoeba #8731068 by Guybrush88, translation #5992 by Zifre
- Lo zucchero filato è troppo dolce per me.Cotton candy is too sweet for me.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Giulia and Lorenzo are visiting a fair together.
- GiuliaGuarda, vendono lo zucchero filato!Look, they are selling cotton candy!
- LorenzoChe bello! Ne prendiamo uno?How nice! Shall we get one?
- GiuliaSì, prendiamone uno rosa.Yes, let's get a pink one.
- LorenzoVa bene, vado io a comprarlo.Alright, I will go buy it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cotton candy” translations and entries zucchero filato, cotone dolce, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (cotone, dolce) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cotone, dolce, zucchero, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
