How to Pronounce Italian Words

Rules to Follow to Correctly Say Anything in Italian

Sep 5, 2009 Andrew Wilson

Learning and practicing these rules for Italian pronunciation will make it possible to properly say any word one reads and to correctly spell any word one hears.

The Italian language is known around the world for its beautiful sounds and lyrical flow. While native English speakers often have difficulty replicating the rhythmic nature of the language, it can be done by learning a few simple rules. Every language is governed by a set of rules, most of which have several exceptions. What makes Italian unique, however, is that these rules have very few, if any exceptions.

Use Pure Vowels When Speaking Italian

A pure vowel is one that produces only one sound. The English language has diphthongs, where two vowel sounds glide into each other to make one sound. Take the word boat, for example. If the word is stretched out, it sounds like boe-oot where the o sound glides into a u sound. In Italian, this shift does not occur. That is, if two vowels appear one after another, both should be distinctly pronounced.

The Italian vowels are pronounced as follows.

a – ah
e – ay
i – ee
o – oh
u – oo

Know What Each Letter Sounds Like in Italian

While most letters in Italian produce the same sound that they do in English, there are some that do not. The following letters are the ones that differ and the ways in which they sound:

c – k, unless followed by i or e, then ch
g – g, unless followed by i or e, then j
h – silent, except in foreign words. Primarily used to alter the sound of other letters, such as c and g. Example: ci is pronounced chee, chi is pronounced kee
r – rolled by lightly pressing tip of tongue against roof of mouth and exhaling swiftly
s – s, unless between vowels, then z. Example: la casa is pronounced cah-zah

Know the Italian Digraphs

A digraph is a single sound produced by two letters. There are five common digraphs in Italian:

ch – k
gh – g
sc + i or e – sh
gn – ny (as in the Spanish ñ)
gl – ly

The gl digraph is the most difficult for native English speakers to reproduce, but can be done by firmly pressing the tip of the tongue to the roof of the mouth and producing both an l sound and a y sound at the same time.

Enunciate Every Letter

Seemingly obvious, this is one of the most difficult rules for many to follow. One of the problems lies in the English digraphs dr and tr. These digraphs are not present in Italian and should not be treated as such.

Elongate Words With Double Consonants

There are many pairs of Italian words that are nearly identical in spelling except for the addition of one letter to create a double consonant. If there is a double consonant, the word must be elongated. Often, this double consonant will change the meaning of the word. This rule also brings about the exception to the first rule. The e is pronounced ay if before one consonant and eh before a double consonant. For example, the word sete, meaning thirst, is pronounced say-tay, but sette, the number seven, is pronounced set-tay.

Stress the Second to Last Syllable

Simple as this rule is, there are a few exceptions. The first exception is that any word with an accent on the final letter is stressed on the last syllable. The accented letter is also significantly sharper in sound than its unaccented counterpart. It is important to differentiate the difference here, as it may change the meaning of the word. Example: the Italian e (ay), meaning and, and the Italian è (eh), meaning is.

The second exception is that most of the infinitive forms of verbs ending with –ere are stressed on the third to last syllable.

The rest of the exceptions lack a systematic explanation. A good dictionary will show where the stress is placed and with practice, it will become natural.

Speak Italian With Passion

Passione is important for Italians and it translates into the way people speak. To really sound like an Italian, one needs to learn to speak with passion. Speak clearly, do not mumble, exaggerate stress and stretch out words.

Using the Rules of Italian Pronunciation

Knowing the rules for how sounds are made is the most important part of learning a new language. While there are other exceptions, this guideline lays a solid framework for properly saying Italian words. Whether the goal is to learn how to speak Italian, or to impress friends out to eat by properly pronouncing bruschetta, the rules to Italian pronunciation will open the door to a truly beautiful language. With this new-found knowledge gained by learning these rules, it is time to put them to use, so start practicing and start learning!

The copyright of the article How to Pronounce Italian Words in Language Study is owned by Andrew Wilson. Permission to republish How to Pronounce Italian Words in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Learn How to Speak Italian

What do you think about this article?