What does paparazzo mean?
Word: Paparazzo
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Paparazzo means a photographer who follows famous people around to take pictures of them, often to sell to newspapers or magazines. The plural is paparazzi.
Word origin: Italian; it came into English in the 1960s.
How do you spell paparazzo?
Syllables: pa - pa - raz - zo
Tricky part: Two z's sit in the middle of the word, but many pupils write only one.
Watch out for: paparazo, paparrazzo
Memory tip: Picture two camera flashes going off, one straight after the other: that pair of flashes is the pair of z's.
Paparazzo in a sentence
Example 1: A lone paparazzo waited outside the hotel all afternoon, hoping the film star would step out.
Example 2: The tennis champion smiled and waved at the paparazzi as she left the airport.
Example 3: Every paparazzo in town seemed to be standing on the steps of the theatre on opening night.
Fun Fact
The plural paparazzi is used far more often than the singular, probably because these photographers usually gather in groups outside hotels, airports and film premieres.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the misspelt word:
a) papparazzo
b) piccolo
c) broccoli
d) cappuccino
Show answer
a) papparazzo. Piccolo, broccoli and cappuccino are all right; the photographer word has a single p each time.
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
Paparazzo comes from Italian. What did the word begin as?
a) a nickname for a busy city newspaper
b) the name of a square in Venice
c) the name of a camera sold in Rome
d) the surname of a photographer in a 1960 film
Show answer
d) the surname of a photographer in a 1960 film. Federico Fellini named a news photographer Paparazzo in his film La Dolce Vita, and the name was soon used for real photographers.
Sound Check
In which word is 'zz' pronounced differently?
a) paparazzo
b) puzzle
c) pizza
d) intermezzo
Show answer
b) puzzle. In the three Italian words zz is said ts; in puzzle it is a plain buzzing z.
Word Tally
Score 2 marks for each correctly spelt word. How many marks in all?
paparazzo, spagetti, confetti, grafitti, lasagne, ballerina
a) 6
b) 10
c) 8
d) 4
Show answer
c) 8. Spaghetti needs an h and graffiti has a double f and a single t, so four words are right: 4 x 2 = 8.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Many famous people find the paparazzi ___.
a) useful for booking concert halls
b) a nuisance when they want some privacy
c) helpful when choosing new clothes
d) kind when they need directions
Show answer
b) a nuisance when they want some privacy
2. Which of these is a paparazzo most likely to carry?
a) a referee's whistle
b) a box of tools
c) a set of paintbrushes
d) a camera with a long lens
Show answer
d) a camera with a long lens
