TO Words: Music, Food, and One Very Useful Prefix
AUTO tops the familiarity chart for TO-ending words, but this category's real personality comes from Italian. ALTO, GROTTO, MOTTO, RISOTTO, PRESTO, GUSTO, LIBRETTO — Italian gave English a generous pile of TO words, mostly through music and food. In classical music terminology alone, you've got AGITATO (agitated), ANIMATO (animated), LEGATO (smoothly), RUBATO (with flexible tempo), and STACCATO (detached). Crossword editors who specialize in arts and culture lean heavily on these.
For puzzle solvers, here's a useful pattern: many TO words are exactly five or six letters long. CANTO, DITTO, LOTTO, MOTTO, PATIO, PINTO, PLUTO, PUNTO, and VETO all hit that range. When your grid shows a 5-letter word ending in TO, cycle through this mental list before reaching for the solver. AUTO and INTO behave differently from the Italian borrowings — they're Germanic-origin words that English has used for centuries rather than recent imports.
Scrabble players should know that ARNOTTO (a reddish dye, also spelled ANNATTO) is worth 7 points and plays well on a crowded board. RISOTTO scores 7 points too. The TO ending pairs naturally with words ending in TION (since -TO words often spawn -TION forms), and you'll find related vocabulary among words starting with R for RISOTTO, RUBATO, and more. Try words starting with Z for ZERO and other cross-language words, or words ending in A for the feminine Italian equivalents.
FAQ
Why are there so many Italian words ending in TO?
In Italian, -TO is the masculine singular ending for past participles and many nouns. English borrowed these words during the Renaissance, especially from music (STACCATO, LEGATO) and cuisine (RISOTTO, PROSCIUTTO). See words ending in A for the corresponding feminine Italian endings.
What TO words appear most in crossword puzzles?
AUTO, VETO, PATIO, and MOTTO are everyday crossword staples. For music-themed puzzles, ALTO and STACCATO dominate. Food puzzles favor RISOTTO and BURRITO. Clue style is your best guide. Also explore words ending in ING for another high-frequency crossword ending.