How to read and say Italian

Pronunciation is relatively easy in Italian since most words are pronounced exactly how they are written. The main letters to watch out for are c and g, since their pronunciation varies based on the following vowel. Also, make sure to pronounce r and rr differently: caro means dear, whereas carro means chariot.

Vowels

a

as in "father"

e

sometimes as in "set", sometimes more closed, identical to "e" in New Zealand English

i

as in "machine"

o

as in "oh", but make sure to avoid any "w" or "oo" sound at the end

u

like 'oo' in "hoop"

Consonants

Silent I If ci, gi, gli or sci is followed by another vowel, the i is silent. For example, giallo (yellow) is pronounced "JAHL-loh".

b

like 'b' in "bed"

c

like 'ch' in "chipper" when before 'i' or 'e', like 'k' in "skin" otherwise

d

like 'd' in "dog"

f

like 'f' in "fear"

g

like 'g' in "go" (before 'a', 'o', 'u')
like 'j' in "jello" (before 'i' or 'e')

h

silent

j

generally only appears in proper nouns (e.g. Juventus). Pronounced like 'y' in "yet".

l

like 'l' in "love"

m

like 'm' in "mother"

n

like 'n' in "nice"

p

like 'p' in "spray"

q

like 'q' in "quest" (always with "u" except in some Arabic loanwords)

r

trill with the tip of the tongue just as in Spanish. A double r (rr) requires a stronger trill.

s

like 's' in "gas", like 'z' in "lizard" when between vowels only in the North of Italy.

t

like 't' in "stop"

v

like 'v' in "victory"

z

like 'ds' in "toads" or like 'ts' in "coats"

Common diphthongs

ai

like 'i' in "fight"

au

like 'ow' in "brown"

ei

like 'ay' in "say"

eu

like hey you

ee

identical vowels [stress on the first vowel "idee" (ee-DEH-eh)]

ia

like see ya, but with the 'a' as in "father"

ie

similar to "yeah"

ii

identical vowels [stress on the first vowel "addii" (ahd-DEE-ee)]

io

"EE-oh" like the 'eo' in "Leo"

iu

like 'ew' in "few"

oi

like 'oy' in "boy"

oo

identical vowels [stress on the first vowel "zoo" (DZOH-oh)]

ua

like 'wa' in "want"

ue

like 'we' in "went"

ui

like "we"

uo

like "woe"

Digraphs

ch

like 'k' in "keep"

sc

before "e" or "i", like 'sh' in "sheep"; before "a", "o" or "u" like 'sk' in "sky"

sch

before 'e' or 'i' like 'sk' in "sky"

gn

like the 'ny' in "canyon"

gh

like "g" in "get"

gli

like the 'li' in "million"; rarely like "glee" in words of Greek origin

Emphasis

Accented words have the emphasis on the syllable with the accented letter. Unaccented words are normally pronounced with the emphasis on the penultimate or antepenultimate syllable.