Italian Pronunciation
When learning Italian pronunciation, you may want to begin with the letters of the alphabet. While many of these appear the same as they do in English, there are some major differences. For example, the letters “j,” “x,” “k,” “w,” and “y” rarely appear in the Italian language. If they are present, the word is usually one that has been borrowed from another language. There are also a number of symbols and accent marks that are used that change the pronunciation of the letter. The basic Italian pronunciation of the alphabet excluding the letters mentioned above is:
Letter / Spelling / Pronunciation /
A a “ah”
B bi “bee”
C ci “chee”
D di “dee”
E e “eh”
F effe “ehf-fay”
G gi “jee”
H acca “ahk-kah”
I i “ee’
L elle “ehl-lay”
M emme “ehm-may”
N enne “ehn-nay”
O o “oh”
P pi “pee”
Q cu “koo”
R erre “ehr-ray”
S esse “ehs-say”
T ti “tee”
U u “oo”
V vu “voo”
Z zeta “dzeh-tah”
Depending on the letters that follow certain consonants, the Italian pronunciation of these letters can change. The following is a quick guide to these changes:
“c” before “a,” “o,” “u,” or any of the consonants “k” in “kite” and “key”
“c” before “i” or “e” “ch” as in “church”
“ch” is used only before “i” and “e” “k” as in “kite” and “key”
“g” before “a,” “o,” “u,” or any consonant “g” as in “good”
“g” before “i” or “e” “j” as in “just”
“gh” is used only before “i” and “e” “g” in “good”
“h” without an consonant (e.g. “ch”) silent
When learning Italian pronunciation, you will find that the stress is generally placed on the next to last syllable of the word. If the stress is on the last syllable, an accent mark will usually appear to denote this emphasis. To give you a better idea of stress when you are dealing with Italian pronunciation, the stress in the following words is written in bold-faced type:
a cup una tazza “oo-nah tahts-sah”
coffee caffè “kahf-fay”
to sleep dormire “dohr-mee-ray”
theater teatro “tay-ah-troh”
to pay pagare “pah-gah-ray”
As you can see, all these words have emphasis placed on the next to the last syllable, with the exception of “caffè” in which the last syllable is clearly marked with an accent mark.
When you begin to learn Italian pronunciation, you should keep in mind that this language is phonetically-based. Simply put, this characteristic means that words sound the same way in which they are spelled. By keeping the pronunciation of the alphabet in mind, you should be able to pronounce even the longest Italian words:
passport passaporte “pas-sah-por-tay”
to telephone telefonare “tay-lay-foh-nah-ray
salesman venditore “ven-dah-toh-ray “
If you would happen to forget the Italian pronunciation of a certain letter, you can simply sound the word out using the English sounds. An Italian-speaking listener should be able to comprehend what you are trying to say.
Once you have learned the individual sounds that accompany the alphabet as well as the few exceptions that we have mentioned, you should have no problem in speaking Italian pronunciation correctly.