Latte, Cappuccino, Macchiato: What's the difference

Espresso

A latte by any other name ... A latte is a coffee made with espresso and steamed milk. The term as used in English is a shortened form of the Italian caffè latte or caffellatte, which means "milk coffee". The word is also sometimes spelled latté or lattè in English.   Variants include replacing the coffee with another drink base such as masala chai (spiced Indian tea), mate or matcha, and other types of milk, such as soy milk or almond milk are also used. 

Caffè latte vs. latte macchiato

Latte Macchiato

A caffè latte differs from a latte macchiato in that in a latte macchiato, espresso is added to milk, rather than the reverse. A caffè latte has a stronger coffee flavor.

The latte macchiato is milk steamed to microfoam, served in a glass with a half shot of espresso poured gently through the foamy top layer, creating a layered drink with a "macchia"—a spot—of espresso on the top. As with a caffè macchiato, which is espresso with a spot of milk atop, indicating there's a hint of milk underneath the espresso foam, a latte macchiato is the opposite, to indicate there is espresso in the milk.

The use of the term 'macchiato' has been widened to include a huge array of beverages and ice creams. In some countries (like Germany), latte macchiato is the preferred term. The word "macchiato" itself is Italian for "stained" which refers to creating a coffee or milk "stain" in the drink.

Although the term macchiato has been used to describe various types of espresso drinks, a caffè macchiato is 3/4 espresso and 1/4 steamed milk. A caffè macchiato is about 4 ounces and is usually served in a demi tasse. Although a traditional macchiato is small, there are still ways to pour art into the crema of drink. The only difference between pouring latte art and macchiato art is that for a macchiato, the milk has to be poured faster and through a much smaller stream.

Cappuccino

Rule of Thumb

A Latte is more milk than foam - 2/3 steamed milk, 1/3 espresso, topped with a dollop of milk foam

A Cappuccino is more foam. - A classic cap is just espresso and foam but many North Americans take it with a bit of steamed milk - 1/3 steamed milk, 1/3 espresso,  1/3 milk foam

A (true) Machiatto is espresso with a dollop of foam

Source: WikiPedia