Skip to content
Italian Pronunciation Unlocked: Your Guide for Beginners visualisation

Italian Pronunciation Unlocked: Your Guide for Beginners

Start your Italian pronunciation journey now!
Learn with Comprenders App About Comprenders

Here is a beginner-friendly Italian pronunciation guide covering essential basics:

Italian Vowels

There are five vowel sounds in Italian, pronounced clearly and always short or long but pure (no diphthongs):

  • A = “ah” as in “father”
  • E = can be open [ɛ] as in “bet” or closed [e] as in “they” (both common)
  • I = “ee” as in “machine”
  • O = can be open [ɔ] as in “thought” or closed [o] as in “go”
  • U = “oo” as in “boot”

Italian Consonants

  • Most consonants follow similar sounds to English but with these key points:
    • C before e, i = “ch” as in “church” (e.g., ciao)
    • C before a, o, u = “k” as in “cat”
    • G before e, i = “j” as in “juice”
    • G before a, o, u = hard “g” as in “go”
  • Double consonants are pronounced longer (gemination), e.g. “palla” has a longer “l” sound than “pala.”

Pronunciation Tips

  • Stress usually falls on the penultimate (second-last) syllable, but exceptions exist.
  • All letters are generally pronounced — no silent letters.
  • The letter “r” is rolled or trilled.
  • The letter “gli” is pronounced like the “lli” in the English “million.”

This guide covers the foundational facts to pronounce Italian clearly for beginners, enabling confident pronunciation from the start. Would you like examples or audio resources for better practice?

References

Open the App About Comprenders