Basic Italian course for beginners: Correct pronunciation of Italian letters and words

Correct pronunciation of Italian letters and words

Italian is a romantic language with a distinct and rich pronunciation. Learning the correct pronunciation of letters and words is crucial to mastering the language. Here are some tips to help you get started:

The vowels

In Italian, each vowel has a unique pronunciation and does not change regardless of its placement in the word. The vowels are pronounced as follows:

  • A is always pronounced like the 'a' in "father".
  • E has two pronunciations: it can sound like the 'e' in "bed" (short) or the 'ay' in "day" (long).
  • I is pronounced like the 'ee' in "see".
  • O also has two pronunciations: it can sound like the 'o' in "pot" (short) or like the 'o' in "bone" (long).
  • U is pronounced like the 'oo' in "boot".

The consonants

Most consonants in Italian are pronounced like in English, but there are some exceptions:

  • C is pronounced like 'k' before 'a', 'o', 'u' and consonants (as in "cat"). Before 'e' and 'i', it is pronounced as 'ch' (as in "church").
  • G is pronounced as in "get" before 'a', 'o', 'u' and consonants. Before 'e' and 'i', it's pronounced like 'j' in "jam".
  • H is always silent in Italian. No sound.
  • R is always rolled up, similar to the 'r' in Spanish.
  • Z can be pronounced as 'ts' (as in "bits") or as 'dz' (as in "adze").

Doubling consonants

In Italian, if a consonant is doubled, you must place extra emphasis on that letter when pronouncing it. For example, the word 'palla' (ball) should be pronounced with a long, distinct 'l'.

The letter combinations

There are some letter combinations in Italian that have a unique pronunciation:

  • CH is always pronounced as 'k'.
  • GH is always pronounced like a 'g' in "get".
  • GN is pronounced like the 'ny' in "canyon".
  • SC is pronounced like 'sh' in "she" before 'e' and 'i', and like 'sk' in "skip" before 'a', 'o' and 'u'.

When learning Italian, constant practice of correctly pronouncing letters and words will help you become more fluent and confident in the language. Good fun!

Now answer the exercise about the content:

How are vowels pronounced in Italian?

You are right! Congratulations, now go to the next page

You missed! Try again.

Article image Basic Italian Vocabulary: Greetings and Common Expressions 5

Next page of the Free Ebook:

Basic Italian Vocabulary: Greetings and Common Expressions

Estimated reading time: 1 minutes

Download the app to earn free Certification and listen to the courses in the background, even with the screen off.

+ 9 million
students

Free and Valid
Certificate

60 thousand free
exercises

4.8/5 rating in
app stores

Free courses in
video and ebooks