La pronuncia
Pronunciation
Pronunciation in Italian is simple, because Italian spelling is phonemic. Words are spelled the way they are pronounced; it’s just a matter of learning the rules…
- When consonants appear as a pair, they must be pronounced as double:
- mozzarella*
- tetto [roof]
- nonno [grandfather]
- appuntamento [appointment]
- sabbia [sand]
- Sometimes double consonants make a difference in the meaning of the word, so accurate pronunciation is essential:
| capelli [hair] | cappelli [hats] |
| faro [lighthouse] | farro [spelt] |
| sono [I am] | sonno [sleep] |
| pala [shovel] | palla [ball] |
| rosa [pink; rose] | rossa [red] |
| sete [thirst] | sette [seven] |
- There are some special letter combinations:
| gi: giro [tour] | ghi: ghiaccio [ice] | ci: ciao [hi] | chi: chiesa [church] |
| ge: gelato | ghe: ghetto | ce: celeste [light blue] | che: anche [also] |
| gia: pioggia [rain] | ga: gatto [cat] | cia: arancia [orange] | ca: casa [house] |
| gio: giocare [to play] | go: goccia [drop] | cio: cioccolato [chocolate] | co: come [how; like] |
| giu: giusto [just; correct] | gu: gusto [taste] | ciu: ciuchino [donkey] | cu: cucina [kitchen; cuisine] |
| sci: sciare [to ski] | schi: schiuma [foam] |
| sce: scena [scene] | sche: scherzo [joke] |
| sca: scappare [to run away] | |
| sco: scolapasta [colander] | |
| scu: scuola [school] |
| gn: gnocchi | gli: foglio [sheet] |
| ai: zaino [backpack]
ei: sei [six] uo: uovo [egg] |
* All pronunciation recordings on this page are from www.forvo.com.
Lastly: learn from this Italian guy, Marco, how to pronounce some very important words.
