The sounds of Italian
Italian pronunciation is remarkably consistent and beautiful. What you see is what you say — letters are pronounced the same way in almost every word. This phonetic transparency makes Italian one of the most accessible European languages for learners. The musical quality of Italian comes from its open vowels and rhythmic consonants. Once you master the basic sounds, you can pronounce any Italian word correctly.
The alphabet
Italian uses only 21 letters of the Latin alphabet. The letters J, K, W, X, and Y appear only in foreign loanwords. This simplified alphabet, combined with consistent pronunciation rules, means Italian spelling is straightforward once you learn the patterns:
| Letter | Name | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| A | a | like "a" in "father" |
| B | bi | like English "b" |
| C | ci | "k" before a/o/u; "ch" before e/i |
| D | di | like English "d" |
| E | e | "ay" or "eh" |
| F | effe | like English "f" |
| G | gi | "g" before a/o/u; "j" before e/i |
| H | acca | always silent |
| I | i | like "ee" in "see" |
| L | elle | like English "l" |
| M | emme | like English "m" |
| N | enne | like English "n" |
| O | o | "oh" or "aw" |
| P | pi | like English "p" |
| Q | cu | like "k" (always with "u") |
| R | erre | rolled/trilled |
| S | esse | "s" or "z" between vowels |
| T | ti | like English "t" |
| U | u | like "oo" in "moon" |
| V | vu | like English "v" |
| Z | zeta | "ts" or "dz" |
Vowels
Italian has seven vowel sounds:
| Sound | Letter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| /a/ | a | casa (house) |
| /e/ (closed) | e | sera (evening) |
| /ɛ/ (open) | e | bello (beautiful) |
| /i/ | i | vino (wine) |
| /o/ (closed) | o | sole (sun) |
| /ɔ/ (open) | o | porta (door) |
| /u/ | u | luna (moon) |
Every vowel is pronounced clearly; there are no silent vowels.
Key consonant combinations
| Combination | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ch | "k" | che (what) |
| gh | hard "g" | spaghetti |
| ci + vowel | "ch" | ciao (hello) |
| gi + vowel | "j" | giorno (day) |
| sc + e/i | "sh" | pesce (fish) |
| sc + a/o/u | "sk" | scuola (school) |
| gn | "ny" | gnocchi |
| gli | "ly" | figlio (son) |
Double consonants
Double consonants are pronounced longer and stronger:
- pala (shovel) vs palla (ball)
- nono (ninth) vs nonno (grandfather)
- caro (dear) vs carro (cart)
Stress
Most Italian words are stressed on the second-to-last syllable:
- ca-sa (house)
- a-mi-co (friend)
- bel-lis-si-mo (very beautiful)
Accent marks indicate stress on other syllables:
- cit-tà (city)
- per-ché (why)
Practice words
| Italian | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Ciao | Hello/Bye | CHOW |
| Grazie | Thank you | GRAT-tsyeh |
| Prego | Please/You're welcome | PREH-go |
| Buongiorno | Good morning | bwon-JOR-no |
| Arrivederci | Goodbye | ah-ree-veh-DEHR-chee |