Dried spaghetti, standard thickness: Check box, usually 8–12 minutes. Taste at 8.
Fresh spaghetti: 2–4 minutes. Taste at 2. Do not walk away.
Thin spaghetti (spaghettini): Closer to 5–7 minutes. It’s skinny, so it cooks fast.
Thick spaghetti (spaghetti alla chitarra): Up to 12–14 minutes. They need a little more time to soften their swagger.