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Pronunciation

The Italian pronunciation guide

How Italian actually sounds: the alphabet, the stress, and the letters that mislead a English reader.

Two aids to pronunciation

How to read the respelling on this site

Italian vowels

Italian has five written vowels — a, e, i, o, u — and seven vowel sounds, because e and o each have two versions. The good news is that vowels are always pronounced fully and clearly, and they never collapse into the vague "uh" sound that unstressed English vowels often have.

A is like the a in father: casa, banana. I is like the ee in see but shorter: vino, pizza. U is like the oo in food: luna, tutto. Keep these three steady and you are already most of the way there.

E and o each come in an open and a closed form. Open e (/ɛ/) is like the e in English bed: bene, caffè. Closed e (/e/) is tenser, a little like the a in late without the glide: perché — the accented é is always closed. Open o (/ɔ/) is like the o in British English hot: cosa, notte. Closed o (/o/) is pure and rounded, like the o in more: sole, amore. As a beginner, do not agonise over the open/closed difference — Italians from different regions vary, and you will be understood either way. Treat the IPA in this course as your reference and refine your ear as you listen.

One more habit to build: final vowels are always pronounced. Grazie ends in a clear -eh, not a swallowed sound, and amore has a full -reh at the end.

  • bene /ˈbɛne/ BEH-neh Open e, like the e in bed.
  • caffè /kafˈfɛ/ kahf-FEH Open e — the accented è is open, like the e in bed.
  • perché /perˈke/ pehr-KEH Closed e; the accented é is always closed.
  • vino /ˈvino/ VEE-noh I = a short version of ee in see.
  • cosa /ˈkɔza/ KOH-zah Open o, like the o in British hot.
  • sole /ˈsole/ SOH-leh Closed o, pure and rounded — like the o in more.
  • amore /aˈmore/ ah-MOH-reh Closed o, rounded and pure — no English-style glide.

c and ch

The letter c has two sounds in Italian. Before a, o and u it is a hard /k/, exactly like English k: casa, come, cultura. This is the default sound and it never changes before these vowels.

So why does Italian add a silent-looking h? Because c before e and i would normally go soft (see the section on ci and gi). To keep the hard /k/ sound before e and i, Italian writes ch: chi (who) sounds like English key, and perché ends in -KEH, not -cheh.

Remember the direction of the rule: the h does not add a sound, it protects the hard one. Che, chi, perché, anche — all /k/. If you see ch in an Italian word, never pronounce it like the ch in English church.

  • casa /ˈkaza/ KAH-zah C before a = hard /k/.
  • come /ˈkome/ KOH-meh C before o = hard /k/.
  • chi /ˈki/ KEE Ch = hard /k/ before i; sounds like the English word key.
  • perché /perˈke/ pehr-KEH Ch keeps the /k/ sound before e.
  • anche /ˈaŋke/ AHN-keh The n softens towards ng before the /k/, as in English anchor.
  • bicchiere /bikˈkjɛre/ beek-KYEH-reh A glass — double cch is still just a long /k/.

g and gh

G follows exactly the same logic as c. Before a, o and u it is hard, like the g in English go: gamba, gola, gusto. This hard /ɡ/ sound is the default.

Before e and i, a plain g would go soft (see ci and gi), so Italian writes gh to keep it hard: spaghetti, funghi, laghi. Again, the h is silent — it is only a spelling signal that says keep this g hard.

So ghe and ghi always sound like the ge in get and the ghee in geese with a hard g, never like the English jeh or jee. Once you see that ch and gh play the same protective role for c and g, a large part of Italian spelling suddenly makes sense.

  • gamba /ˈɡamba/ GAHM-bah G before a = hard /ɡ/, as in go.
  • gola /ˈɡɔla/ GOH-lah G before o = hard /ɡ/.
  • spaghetti /spaˈɡetti/ spah-GHEHT-tee Gh keeps the g hard before e — and notice the double tt.
  • funghi /ˈfuŋɡi/ FOON-ghee Mushrooms; gh = hard /ɡ/ before i, and ngh sounds like English finger.
  • ghiaccio /ˈɡjattʃo/ GYAHT-choh Ice — the i after gh is a glide, so it sounds like gyaht-choh.

ci and gi

Now for the soft versions. C before e or i sounds like the ch in English church: cena, ciao, cinema. G before e or i sounds like the j in English jam: gelato, giorno, gita. This is the mirror image of the hard c and g rules.

Notice what happens with words like ciao and giorno: the i is barely there as a vowel. Its main job is to soften the c or g, and the next vowel carries the syllable. That is why ciao is one syllable — CHOW — not two.

A useful summary to memorise: ca/co/cu and ga/go/gu are hard; ce/ci and ge/gi are soft; che/chi and ghe/ghi are hard again, rescued by the h. Master this small table and you can pronounce almost any Italian word on sight.

  • ciao /ˈtʃao/ CHOW One syllable — the i just softens the c.
  • cena /ˈtʃena/ CHEH-nah Dinner; ce = the che in check.
  • cinema /ˈtʃinema/ CHEE-neh-mah Ci = the chi in cheese.
  • giorno /ˈdʒorno/ JOHR-noh Gi = the j in jam; buongiorno is the classic example.
  • gelato /dʒeˈlato/ jeh-LAH-toh Ge = the ge in gem.
  • giallo /ˈdʒallo/ JAHL-loh Yellow — the i is silent, it only softens the g; ll is long.

sc and sch

The combination sc has two sounds. Before a, o and u it is simply /sk/, as in English school: scuola, scarpa, scoprire. Nothing surprising there.

Before e and i, however, sc becomes the sh sound of English shoe: pesce (fish) sounds like PEHSH-sheh, and sci (skiing) sounds like SHEE. This is one of the most distinctive sounds of Italian and it is completely regular.

And sch? Just like ch and gh, the h protects the hard sound: sch before e and i stays /sk/. So maschera (mask) is MAH-skeh-rah, not mah-SHEH-rah. The rule is the same one you already know — h always means keep it hard.

  • scuola /ˈskwɔla/ SKWOH-lah School; sc before o = /sk/.
  • pesce /ˈpeʃʃe/ PEHSH-sheh Fish; sce = the sh in shoe, held a little longer.
  • sciare /ʃiˈare/ shee-AH-reh To ski; sci = SHEE, which is where the English word ski comes from.
  • scena /ˈʃena/ SHEH-nah Scene; sce = SHEH.
  • maschera /ˈmaskera/ MAH-skeh-rah Mask; sch keeps the hard /sk/ before e.
  • scherzo /ˈskertso/ SKEHR-tsoh A joke; again sch = /sk/, never sh.

gn

The Italian gn is a single sound, written in IPA as /ɲ/. It is the sound you already make in the middle of the English word canyon, or in the Spanish señor — a soft ny produced with the tongue flat against the roof of the mouth.

It is not g + n said separately. In gnocchi, bagno and signore the two letters melt into one smooth consonant. At the start of a word this can feel odd to English speakers, but a little practice with gnocchi fixes it quickly.

In the middle of a word gn is usually pronounced long, like other Italian double consonants: signore is see-NYOH-reh with a lingering ny, not see-NYOH-reh clipped short. Give it its full length and you will sound noticeably more Italian.

  • gnocchi /ˈɲɔkki/ NYOHK-kee The famous first test: ny as in canyon, then a hard /k/.
  • signore /siɲˈɲore/ see-NYOH-reh Mr / sir; the gn is long in the middle of the word.
  • bagno /ˈbaɲɲo/ BAHN-nyoh Bathroom — a word you will genuinely need.
  • lasagne /laˈzaɲɲe/ lah-ZAHN-nyeh Note the s between vowels sounds like z.
  • sogno /ˈsoɲɲo/ SOHN-nyoh Dream; the same long ny sound.

gli

Gli is the sound learners fear most, but it is friendlier than it looks. Written /ʎ/ in IPA, it is close to the lli in the English word million said quickly — a soft ly where the middle of the tongue touches the roof of the mouth and the air escapes around the sides.

You will meet gli constantly: it is a common article and pronoun, and it appears in everyday words like famiglia (family), figlio (son) and voglio (I want). In all of these the i is not a separate vowel — gli forms one syllable with what follows.

In the middle of words gli is pronounced long, like other double consonants: famiglia is fah-MEE-lyah with a stretched ly. There is even a classic Italian tongue-twister built around this sound — tagliatelle, bottiglia, famiglia all in a row — which tells you Italians know it takes practice.

  • famiglia /faˈmiʎʎa/ fah-MEE-lyah Family; gli ≈ the lli in million, held long.
  • figlio /ˈfiʎʎo/ FEE-lyoh Son; one syllable, not fee-glee-oh.
  • voglio /ˈvɔʎʎo/ VOH-lyoh I want — one of the most useful verb forms in the language.
  • tagliatelle /taʎʎaˈtɛlle/ tah-lyah-TEHL-leh Both gli and ll are long here.
  • bottiglia /botˈtiʎʎa/ boht-TEE-lyah Bottle; tt and gli are both doubled sounds.

qu

Italian qu is pronounced /kw/, almost exactly like the qu in English queen or quick. The u is a genuine w sound and must be pronounced: quando is KWAHN-doh, not KAHN-doh.

This matters because some of the highest-frequency words in Italian begin with qu: quando (when), qui (here), questo (this), quanto (how much) and the question word qualche. Get the kw habit early and a whole family of question words comes with it.

Watch one small trap: in a few words such as acqua (water) the qu follows a doubled c, giving /kkw/ — AHK-kwah, with a long k flowing into the w. As everywhere in Italian, the double letter is heard.

  • quando /ˈkwando/ KWAHN-doh When; qu = kw as in queen.
  • qui /ˈkwi/ KWEE Here; a quick single kw sound.
  • questo /ˈkwesto/ KWEH-stoh This; the u is a real w glide.
  • quanto /ˈkwanto/ KWAHN-toh How much; as in Quanto costa?
  • acqua /ˈakkwa/ AHK-kwah Water; the double c makes a long k before the w.

z

Italian z has two sounds, and unlike in English it is never buzzy by default. The first is /ts/, like the ts in English cats: pizza, grazie, stazione. This is the more common sound and the one to assume when in doubt.

The second sound is /dz/, like the ds in English beds: zero, zona, zucchero. Unfortunately there is no reliable rule telling you which sound a given word uses — even Italians from different regions disagree on some words — so learn each common z word as you meet it.

One firm rule does exist: zz is always doubled and held, whether it is /tts/ in pizza or /ddz/ in ragazze. And a useful memory hook: the ts in grazie and the dz in zero cover the two words you will say most often in your first week.

  • pizza /ˈpittsa/ PEET-sah zz = /tts/, like peet-sah — never PEE-zah.
  • grazie /ˈɡrattsje/ GRAH-tsyeh The final -e is pronounced: graht-syeh, not graht-see.
  • stazione /statˈtsjone/ staht-TSYOH-neh Station; zio sounds like tsyo.
  • zero /ˈdzɛro/ DZEH-roh z = /dz/, like the ds in beds.
  • zucchero /ˈdzukkero/ DZOOK-keh-roh Sugar; /dz/ here, plus a long kk.
  • zona /ˈdzɔna/ DZOH-nah Zone; another /dz/ word.

r

The Italian r is made with the tip of the tongue against the ridge behind your upper teeth — not with the back of the tongue, and never with the English-style bunching of the tongue in the middle of the mouth. In most positions it is a single quick tap, like the tt in the American English pronunciation of butter.

At the start of a word, or when doubled as rr, it becomes a roll — the famous trill. Roma and burro both have the rolled version. If you cannot trill yet, do not worry: a clean tapped r is understood everywhere, and many learners develop the roll over months of speaking rather than days.

Whatever you do, pronounce every r. Italian rs are never silent, and they matter for meaning: caro (dear) with one tap and carro (cart) with a roll are different words. See the double-consonants section for more pairs like this.

  • Roma /ˈroma/ ROH-mah Word-initial r is rolled or strongly tapped.
  • però /peˈrɔ/ peh-ROH However; a single tapped r between vowels.
  • caro /ˈkaro/ KAH-roh Dear — one quick tap of the tongue.
  • carro /ˈkarro/ KAHR-roh Cart — rr is a longer, rolled sound; contrast with caro.
  • arrivederci /arriveˈdertʃi/ ahr-ree-veh-DEHR-chee Goodbye; rr is rolled, and the final ci is chee.

Double consonants

Double consonants are not a spelling decoration — they are pronounced, and they change meaning. In Italian a double consonant is held roughly twice as long as a single one: nonno (grandfather) has a long n, while nono (ninth) has a short one. Say them at the same length and you have said the wrong word.

The easiest way to feel the difference is to pause fractionally in the middle of the double letter: palla (ball) is PAL-lah with a held l, while pala (shovel) is PAH-lah with a flick. The vowel before a double consonant is also slightly shorter, which helps the contrast.

Some pairs are famous among learners: nono/nonna, caro/carro, sera (evening)/serra (greenhouse), pala/palla. Practise them as minimal pairs — say both words aloud, one after the other — and train your ear at the same time as your tongue.

Note that double consonants never happen at the start of a word, and the letters h and q are never doubled. Everything else — tt, ss, nn, ll, rr, cc, gg, pp, bb, mm, ff, vv, zz — is fair game and must be heard.

  • nonno /ˈnonno/ NOHN-noh Grandfather; hold the n.
  • nono /ˈnono/ NOH-noh Ninth; a single short n — the classic contrast with nonno.
  • palla /ˈpalla/ PAHL-lah Ball; long ll. Compare pala, shovel, with a single l.
  • sera /ˈsera/ SEH-rah Evening; single r, so it is tapped, not rolled.
  • serra /ˈsɛrra/ SEHR-rah Greenhouse; rr is long and rolled — a different word from sera.
  • tutto /ˈtutto/ TOOT-toh Everything; the long tt is why it does not sound like English tutor.

Word stress

In most Italian words the stress falls on the second-to-last syllable: parlare (par-LAH-reh), macchina (MAHK-kee-nah), arrivederci. This is the default pattern, and when in doubt it is your best guess.

A sizeable minority of words stress the third-to-last syllable instead: tavolo (TAH-voh-loh, table), sabato (SAH-bah-toh, Saturday), medico (MEH-dee-koh, doctor). Because spelling does not mark this, these words simply have to be learnt with their stress — always say a new word aloud with the correct stress from day one.

When stress falls on the final syllable, Italian does tell you: the word carries a written accent. Città (cheet-TAH, city), università, perché, caffè — the accent mark is both a spelling requirement and a stress instruction. Never drop it when writing: without the accent the word is misspelt.

Stress also distinguishes meaning in a few pairs: àncora (anchor) versus ancòra (still, again). The good news is that listening to the course audio — or any Italian speech — will calibrate your instincts quickly, because Italian rhythm is extremely regular.

  • parlare /parˈlare/ par-LAH-reh The default pattern: stress on the second-to-last syllable.
  • macchina /ˈmakkina/ MAHK-kee-nah Car; stress on the first of three syllables — this one must be learnt.
  • tavolo /ˈtavolo/ TAH-voh-loh Table; third-to-last stress, not tah-VOH-loh.
  • sabato /ˈsabato/ SAH-bah-toh Saturday; the same third-to-last pattern.
  • città /tʃitˈta/ cheet-TAH City; the written accent marks final stress — and a long tt.
  • università /universiˈta/ oo-nee-vehr-see-TAH Final-syllable stress again, signalled by the accent.

Elision and apostrophes

Italian dislikes two vowels colliding between words, so it often drops the final vowel of the first word and replaces it with an apostrophe. This is called elision, and the apostrophe is not optional decoration — it marks a sound that has genuinely disappeared.

You see it constantly with articles: l'amico (the friend), l'acqua (the water), un'amica (a female friend). The pronunciation simply flows into the next word: l'amico is lah-MEE-koh, with no pause and no separate uh vowel for the article.

Elision also appears in fixed expressions and pronouns: d'accordo (agreed), com'è (how is it / how is...?), quest'anno (this year), un po' (a little — from un poco). In each case the apostrophe tells you a letter has been cut.

One writing rule matters from day one: an apostrophe is not a substitute for a real accent. Italians write perché and città with accents; forms like perche' with a trailing apostrophe are an informal typing shortcut and should never appear in your own written Italian.

  • l'amico /laˈmiko/ lah-MEE-koh The friend; la loses its a before another vowel.
  • l'acqua /ˈlakkwa/ LAHK-kwah The water; the article melts straight into the noun.
  • un'amica /unaˈmika/ oo-nah-MEE-kah A (female) friend; una becomes un' before a vowel.
  • d'accordo /dakˈkordo/ dahk-KOHR-doh Agreed / OK; di elides to d', and the double cc is long.
  • com'è /koˈmɛ/ koh-MEH How is (it)?; come elides before è — two words, one smooth sound.
  • quest'anno /kwesˈtanno/ kwehs-TAHN-noh This year; questo drops its o, and nn is held long.