**Gnocchi fit the dumpling category because they are small, thick pieces of dough cooked as individual lumps.** Typical potato gnocchi are made by mixing cooked potato with flour, shaping the dough into ropes, cutting off small pieces, and boiling them. That is a common way to make an unfilled dumpling. [La Cucina Italiana](https://www.lacucinaitaliana.com/glossary/gnocchi) describes them as dumplings.

The usual distinction is their form and preparation:

- **Noodles** are generally dough formed into thin strands, ribbons, or sheets.
- **Dumplings** are individual masses of dough, or dough enclosing a filling. A filling is optional; gnocchi belong to the unfilled kind.

Potato itself isn’t the deciding factor: gnocchi can also be made with semolina or other ingredients. Boiling doesn’t distinguish them either, since both noodles and dumplings can be boiled.

The word **“technically” overstates how firm these categories are**. Culinary terms overlap, and *pasta* is broader than *noodle*. [Collins](https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/gnocchi) actually defines gnocchi as “pasta in the form of small, variously shaped dumplings.” Calling them dumplings is well established; calling them pasta can also be reasonable.