What is the difference between staccato and legato?

To remember legato means connected, think your leg is connected to your body. The term staccato (pronounced "stuh-caw-toe") means detached, or separated, notes. Staccato notes have space, or silence, between them ... Legato and staccato simply refer to whether or not a note's length runs into the next note being played.

Staccato notes sound short and disconnected (there should be a bold dot under the note that's supposed to be staccato) legato is where the notes sound connected and slurred