Letto

Letto is an Italian word with two common senses. As a masculine noun, letto denotes a bed, the piece of furniture used for sleeping in a bedroom. The standard plural is letti. In everyday use, several types are described with compound phrases, such as letto singolo (single bed), letto matrimoniale (double bed), letto a castello (bunk bed), and letto pieghevole (folding bed). The word can also appear in regional names or product descriptions for beds and bedding.

The noun let to comes from Latin lectus, reflecting its long historical use in bed furniture. In modern Italian, it is a everyday term found in households, hotels, and interior design.

In addition to its noun sense, let to is the past participle of the verb leggere, meaning to read. It is used to form compound tenses with auxiliary avere, as in ho letto un libro (I have read a book) or ho letto tutto (I have read everything). When used with the auxiliary essere in passive or in certain perfect constructions, the participle agrees in gender and number with the subject, for example: la lettera è stata letta (the letter has been read) or i libri sono stati letti (the books have been read). The form stays letto in most complex tenses with avere, but agreement occurs with essere.

Because of its dual function, the word let to should be understood from context: as a noun referring to furniture in bedrooms, or as the past participle of leggere in grammatical constructions describing reading. The distinction is clear in everyday Italian usage.