Pastas come in an amazing variety of shapes. Certain Italian dishes call for specific pasta shapes because they compliment the sauce. This list gives a brief description of the most common pasta shapes:
Agnolotti: Filled fresh pasta shaped like half moons.
Bucatini: Long, fat strands that look like spaghetti but are hollow.
Capelli d'angelo: Long and extremely thin. Name translates as "angel's hair."
Cappellini: Slightly thicker than angel hair pasta but still very thin, long strands.
Conchiglie: Shell-shaped pasta that comes in a variety of sizes. Oversized shells, called conchiglioni, are often stuffed and baked.
Ditali: Tiny tubes often used in soup. Name translates as "thimbles."
Farfalle: Bow-tie-shaped pasta. Name translates as "butterflies."
Fettuccine: Long, flat strands of egg noodles.
Fusilli: Corkscrew shape that comes in varying lengths.
Lasagne: Long, wide sheets of pasta that are layered with sauce and cheese and baked.
Linguine: Long, thin ribbons. Similar to spaghetti except strands have flat sides as well as rounded ones.
Orecchiette: Small bowl-shaped pasta. Name translates as "little ears."
Orzo: Shaped like extra-long grains of rice. Often used in soup.
Pappardelle: Long, flat noodle that is two to three times as wide as fettuccine. Often cut into shorter pieces for easier eating.
Pastina: Any of the tiny pasta added to soup, including ditalini (little thimbles), perline (little pearls), and stelline (little stars).
Penne: Medium-length tubes with ends cut on an angle. Can be ridged. Name translates as "quills."
Ravioli: Stuffed pasta shaped like square pillows. Edges are often ruffled.
Rigatoni: Fat, squat tubes with grooved exterior.
Rotelle: Small wheels.
Ruote: Wheels.
Spaghetti: Long, thin strands. Name comes from the word "spago," meaning string or cord.
Tagliatelle: Long, flat strands that are slightly wider than fettuccine.
Taglierini: Similar to tagliatelle but cut narrower.
Tortellini: Stuffed pasta shaped like fat rings. Often used in soups.
Trenette: Long-strand pasta shape that is similar to linguine.
Vermicelli: Long, very thin strands that are thinner than spaghetti. Name translates as "little worms."
Ziti: Narrow tubes of medium length. Similar to penne except ends are not cut on an angle.