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<div class="pg_page_title">Italian Grammar - Italian Alphabet</div>
__TOC__
Italian's alphabet contains 21 letters (5 vowels and 16 consonants). The letters J, K, W, X, and Y are only used in foreign words, and in scientific or technical terms of foreign origin. Nowadays it is common to use the English alphabet instead of the Italian one.
<span link>Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: [[Language/Italian/Grammar/Conditional-Subjunctive|Conditional Subjunctive]] & [[Language/Italian/Grammar/Definite-Articles|Definite Articles]].</span>
== Italian Alphabet ==
The Italian alphabet includes the following 26 letters:
{| class="wikitable"
! Italian !! Name of the letter /IPA/
!Pronunciation in words /IPA/!! Comparison with other languages
|-
| A || /a/
|/a/|| like in Castellano "pAdre"; the English 'a' has many pronunciations according to what letters come before or after it: the closest sound to the Italian one could be the /ʌ/ sound in "cUp".
|-
| B || /bi/
|/b/|| like in English "Brave"
|-
| C || /tʃi/
|/tʃ/ or /k/|| like in English "CHurCH" (/tʃ/) before 'e' or 'i'; like in English "Car" (/k/) before 'a', 'o', 'u' or any other consonant. See letter 'h' and 'i' for more details
|-
| D || /di/
|/d/|| like in English "Dog"
|-
| E || /e/ or /ɛ/
|/e/ or /ɛ/|| like in English "red" (/ɛ/) or in Castellano "buEno" (/e/).
In Italian pronouncing /e/ or /ɛ/ is not as import as in French: choosing one sound or the other does not compromise the communication. In fact every Italian uses them according to regional inflections: even if this letter may be pronounced in two ways by most Italians, it is always considered as a single vowel
|-
| F || /'ɛf:e/
|/f/|| like in English "Fish"
|-
| G || /dʒi/
|/dʒ/ or /g/|| like in English "Gem" (/dʒ/) before 'e' or 'i'; like in English "Gum" (/g/) before 'a', 'o', 'u' or any other consonant. See letter 'h' and 'i' for more details
|-
| H || /ˈak:a/
|/-/ (silent)|| is always silent like in Castellano
In Italian it is used to maintain sounds /k/ and /g/ before soft vowels 'e' and 'i'. In fact:


== Introduction ==
- CE -> read /tʃe/ -- CHE -> read /ke/


Welcome to the "Italian Grammar - Introduction to Italian Language > Italian Alphabet" lesson of the "Complete 0 to A1 Italian Course". In this lesson, we will start with the basics of the Italian language by learning about the Italian alphabet.
- CI -> read /tʃi/ -- CHI -> read /ki/


The Italian alphabet consists of 21 letters, all of which are derived from the Latin alphabet. As a beginner, it is crucial to master these letters before moving on to more complex topics such as grammar and vocabulary. This lesson will teach you about the Italian alphabet, including its history, pronunciation, and special characters.
- GE -> read /dʒe/ -- GHE -> read /ge/


By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- GI -> read /dʒi/ -- GHI -> read /gi/


* Recognize and pronounce all of the letters in the Italian alphabet
* Identify the special characters and accents used in Italian
* Understand the history behind the Italian alphabet


If you are ready to embark on your journey to learn Italian, let's get started!
Letter 'h' is also used in front of some persons of the verb "to have" conjugated in present indicative to distinguish them from homophone words:
== History of the Italian alphabet ==


The Italian alphabet has evolved over time, and its history is an interesting one. The origins of the Italian alphabet date back to the Etruscan civilization, which existed in Italy between the 8th and 3rd centuries BC. The Etruscan language had a significant influence on early Italian, and some of its characters were adopted into the Latin alphabet, which was the basis for the modern Italian alphabet.
- HO -> I have -- O -> or


During the Middle Ages, the Latin alphabet underwent several modifications and was influenced by other languages, resulting in the formation of new letters and a different pronunciation system. By the 14th century, the Italian language had evolved considerably, and it was decided that a standard alphabet was necessary. This led to the formation of the Italian alphabet as we know it today.
- HAI -> you have -- AI -> "to the" (preposition plus definitive article)


The modern Italian alphabet consists of 21 letters, with five vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and sixteen consonants (b, c, d, f, g, h, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, z). The letters j, k, w, x, and y are only used in foreign loanwords and are not part of the Italian alphabet.
- HA -> he/she/it has -- A -> "to" (preposition)


Learning about the history of the Italian alphabet is essential in understanding the language and its development over time. In the next section, we will delve deeper into the individual letters and sounds of the Italian alphabet.
- HANNO -> they have -- ANNO -> year
== Single letters and sounds ==


In this section, we will focus on the individual letters of the Italian alphabet and their corresponding sounds. It is essential to understand each letter's pronunciation since it will be the foundation for any word in Italian.
|-
| I || /i/
|/i/, /j/, /-/ (silent)|| like in English "mEEt".


Vowels:


The five vowels in the Italian alphabet are pronounced as follows:
'i' is also used to maintain sounds /tʃ/ and /dʒ/ before hard vowels 'a', 'o', 'u' as long as they are considered inside the same syllable. In these cases 'i' is silent. In fact:


* A - pronounced "ah" as in "fata" (fairy)
- CA -> read /ka/ -- CIA -> read //tʃa/ (it's pronounced /'tʃao/ and not /'tʃjao/)
* E - pronounced "eh" as in "rete" (net)
* I - pronounced "ee" as in "amici" (friends)
* O - pronounced "oh" as in "buono" (good)
* U - pronounced "oo" as in "luna" (moon)


Consonants:
- CO -> read /ko/ -- CIO -> read //tʃo/


The Italian alphabet has sixteen consonants that possess specific pronunciations. Below is a table outlining the pronunciation of each consonant in the Italian alphabet:
- CU -> read /ku/ -- CIU -> read //tʃu/


{| class="wikitable"
- GA -> read /ga/ -- GIA -> read /dʒa/
! Letter !! Pronunciation !! Example
 
- GO -> read /go/ -- GIO -> read /dʒo/
 
- GU -> read gu/ -- GIU -> read /dʒu/
 
 
In Italian some words require a silent 'i' in syllables CIE, GIE or SCIE, even if vowel 'e' is already soft by itself. In fact you may find:
 
- CIE -> read as CE
 
- GIE -> read as GE
 
- SCIE -> read as SCE (/ʃe/)
 
 
When 'i' comes before another vowel and is inside tha same syllable (apart from the case mentioned above!) it is pronounced 'j' like in English "Yesterday"
|-
|-
| B || pronounced "bee" || "bicchiere" (glass)
|J
|/dʒej/ or /i 'luŋga/
|/j/ or /dʒ/
|only in foreign words, mostly pronounced as in the native language
|-
|-
| C || pronounced "chee" before E and I, and "kah" before A, O, U || "casa" (house), "cena" (supper)
|K
|/'kap:a/
|/k/
|only in foreign words, mostly pronounced as in the native language
|-
|-
| D || pronounced "dee" || "domanda" (question)
| L || /'ɛl:e/
|/l/|| like in English "Lion"
|-
|-
| F || pronounced "effe" || "figlio" (son)
| M || /'ɛm:e/
|/m/|| like 'in English "Mouse"
|-
|-
| G || pronounced "gee" before E and I, and "gah" before A, O, U || "gatto" (cat), "gelo" (ice)
| N || /'ɛn:e/
|/n/, /ŋ/ or /ɱ/|| like in English "Nice"; it changes to /ŋ/ before sounds /k/ or /g/ and to /ɱ/ before sounds /f/ or /v/. These should natural allophones of sound /n/ for most languages.
|-
|-
| H || silent in Italian || "hotel" (hotel)
| O || /ɔ/ or /o/
|/ɔ/ or /o/|| like in English "mOre" /o/ or in English /lOt/ /ɔ/
 
 
In Italian pronouncing /o/ or /ɔ/ is not as import as in other monosyllabic languages: choosing one sound or the other does not compromise the communication. In fact every Italian uses them according to regional inflections: even if this letter may be pronounced in two ways by most Italians, it is always considered as a single vowel
|-
|-
| L || pronounced "elle" || "lingua" (language)
| P || /pi/
|/p/|| like in English "Pen"
|-
|-
| M || pronounced "emme" || "mamma" (mom)
| Q || /ku/
|/k/|| like in English "Quit" /k/. It is only used when followed by U+VOWEL (-QUA- /kwa/, -QUE /kwe/-, -QUI /kwi//-, -QUO- /kwo/) inside the same syllable.
Letter 'q' is quite tricky in Italian: in fact it has the same sound as letter 'c' when found in the same position inside a word. Notice how the syllables with letter 'q' or 'c' in the following words have the same pronunciation but different spelling:
 
- QUALE -> read /'kwale -- VACUA -> read /'vakwa/
 
- QUESTO -> read /'kwesto/ -- INNOCUE -> read /i'n:ɔkwe/
 
- QUINDI -> read /'kwindi/ -- TACCUINO -Z read /ta'k:wino/
 
- QUOTA  -> read /'kwɔta/ -- CUORE -> read /'kwɔre
|-
|-
| N || pronounced "enne" || "notte" (night)
| R || /'ɛr:e/
|/r/ or /ɾ/|| like in Castellano "Rosa". Italian 'r' is pronounced with a rolling sound made by rapidly flipping the end of the tongue up and down against the roof of the mouth); It may be softer like /ɾ/ between vowels or at the beginning of a word (like Americans usually pronounce 't' between vowels, for example in "iT is" /ɪɾɪz/)
|-
|-
| P || pronounced "pee" || "pane" (bread)
| S || /'ɛs:e/
|/s/ or /z/|| like in English "Sun" /s/ or in English "boyS" /z/. Unlike Castellano, Italian 's' has two pronunciations.
- /s/ before dull consonant sounds (/sk/, /sp/, /st/, /sf/ or at the beginning of a word when followed by a vowel (exactly like in English "Silence")
 
- /z/ before vibrant consontant sounds (/zg/,/zb/, /zd/, /zv/, /zl/, /zm/, /zn/)  or between two vowels (/aza/, /uzo/, /ezu/ etc.)
 
 
These are just general rules: according to regional inflections you may hear different ways Italians pronunce this letter, but choosing one sound or the other does not compromise the communication
|-
|-
| Q || pronounced "koo" before A, O, U || "qua" (here)
| T || /ti/
|/t/|| like in Castellano "Tener"; the English 't' is usually followed by an expiration at the beginnig of a word when followed by a vowel (like in the word "time") which does not exist in Italian
|-
|-
| R || pronounced "erre" || "roma" (Rome)
| U || /u/
|/u/ or /w/|| like in English "cOOl"; letter 'u' can be found as a half consonant or half vowel sound when followed by another vowel inside the same syllable, in which case it is pronounced /w/ like in English "What"
|-
|-
| S || pronounced "esse" || "sole" (sun)
| V || /vi/ or /vu/
|/v/|| like in English "Very"
|-
|-
| T || pronounced "tee" || "tavolo" (table)
|W
|/vu 'dop:ja/
|/w/ or /v/
|only in foreign words, mostly pronounced as in the native language
|-
|-
| V || pronounced "vi" || "vino" (wine)
|X
|/iks/
|/ks/
|only in foreign words, mostly pronounced as in the native language
|-
|-
| Z || pronounced "zeta" || "zaino" (backpack)
|Y
|/'ipsilon/
|/j/ or /i/
|only in foreign words, mostly pronounced as in the native language
|-
| Z || /'dzɛta/
|/dz/ or /ts/|| like in English "geTS" or like a fast pronounciation of the English "reD Zone";
The Italian 'z' is quite tricky: the correct pronunciation should be learnt by heart since there is no rule at all that could teach you when to say /ts/ and when to say /dz/. In fact every Italian, according to their regional inflection choose to use one sound or the other for each word: this does not compromise our communication anyway.
|}
|}


Doubled Letters:


Some letters in the Italian alphabet, such as C, G, and S, can be doubled, which can change the pronunciation of the word. For example, "cane" (dog) is pronounced with a soft "c," but "canne" (canes) is pronounced with a hard "c." Similarly, "solo" (alone) is pronounced with a soft "s," but "sollo" (I alone) is pronounced with a hard "s."
'''CLUSTERS OF LETTERS INSIDE THE SAME SYLLABLE'''


Learning how to pronounce each letter correctly is the initial step in understanding Italian words and speech. In the next section, we will learn about digraphs and double letters, which can create changes in pronunciation.
Some sounds do not have a specific letter, but a cluster of letters
== Double letters and digraphs ==


In this section, we will learn about double letters and digraphs in the Italian language. These elements can either change the sound of the letter or produce a completely new sound altogether.
'''GN''': this cluster is always followed by a vowel and must be pronounced /ɲ/ (GNA /ɲa/, GNE /ɲe/, GNI /ɲi/, GNO /ɲo/, GNU /ɲu/). This cluster is prounced as /gn/ only in some technical or scientific terms. Notice that in rare cases syllable GNA must be spelled GNIA even if letter I is silent. (example: DISEGNIAMO, REGNIAMO etc.)


Double Consonants:
'''GLI''': this cluster is always followed by vowel 'I' alone or 'I + other vowels' and must be pronounced /ʎ/ (GLIA (ʎa), GLIE (ʎe), GLI (ʎi) GLIO (ʎo), GLIU (ʎu). This cluster is pronounced as /gl/ almost only in technical or scientific terms


In Italian, double consonants can change the meaning and pronunciation of a word. They indicate a double sound, making the sound longer or stronger. For example:
'''SCI/SCE''': 'SC' plus soft vowels 'E' and 'I' is pronounced /ʃ/; to reproduce sound /ʃ/ before other vowels, letter 'I' must always be used (SCIA /ʃa/, SCE /ʃe/, SCI /ʃi/, SCIO /ʃo/ SCIU /ʃu/); notice that syllable SCE must sometimes be spelled SCIE even if its pronunciation does not change. (example: SCIENZA, SCIENZIATO, SCIENTIFICO etc.)


* "Palla" (ball) vs. "Palla" (bullet)
== Accents and Diacritics ==
* "Forno" (oven) vs. "Foro" (hole)


The following letters can be doubled to create a double consonant in Italian:
'''ACCENTS'''


* B, C, D, F, G, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, and V.
Every language uses accents for different purposes and in different ways.  


Double Vowels:
Nowadays the Italian language uses two accents which are placed only above vowels.


When two vowels are next to each other in an Italian word, they usually form a diphthong, which is a combination of two vowel sounds said in one syllable. However, in some cases, the two vowels may be pronounced separately.
One is the '''acute accent''' which may be found only on É and Ó and the other one is the '''grave accent''' which may be found on any vowel À È Ì Ò Ù.  


This occurs when the two vowels are of the same letter:
As you can see, only E and O admit two types of accent: you should pick the grave accents on these vowels only when they are pronounced open /ɛ/ or /ɔ/, while you should use the acute accent when they are pronounced closed /e/ or /o/. For the other vowels only the grave accents is the correct one.


* "Door" - "Porta" (por-ta) vs. "Porto" (por-to)
They are used:


Digraphs:
- to distinguish homophone words that have a different grammar role (like in Castellano or French); '''mandatory for correct spelling'''


A digraph is a combination of two letters that represent a single sound in Italian. The most common digraphs in Italian are:
* LA -> feminine singular article -- LÀ -> adverb "there"
* SI -> pronoun for "itself, himself, herself" -- SÌ -> "yes"
* NE -> pronoun that means "of this, that, these, those" -- NÉ -> "nor, neither"
* DA -> preposition "from" -- DÀ -> he/she/it gives (verb)
*E -> "and" -- È -> it, she, he is (verb)


* CH - pronounced "k" like in "chiesa" (church).
- to mark the stress of a plurisyllabic word when it falls on the very last letter; '''mandatory for correct spelling'''
* GN - pronounced "ny" like in "gnocchi" (gnocchi).
* GLI - pronounced "lyee" like in "figli" (sons).
* SC - pronounced "sh" like in "scuola" (school).
* GL, GR, and GN followed by a vowel - these combinations are pronounced as one sound by blending them together. Examples: "aglio" (garlic), "udienza" (audience), "pignone" (big gear).


By becoming familiar with these double letters and digraphs, you will be able to better understand and pronounce Italian words. In the next section, we will learn about special characters and accents, which can also affect pronunciation.
* VERITÀ -> stress on 'a'
== Special characters and accents ==
* PERÒ -> stress on 'o'
* VIRTÙ -> stress on 'u'
* COMPÌ -> stress on 'i'


In addition to the standard 21 letters in the Italian alphabet, there are special characters and accents used in Italian that can change the pronunciation of certain letters.
- marking the stress of a monosyllabic word when it contains I + VOWEL and the stress falls on this very last vowel: in these cases you know you must not pronounce the vowels as a hiatus; '''mandatory for correct spelling'''


Accent Marks:
* GIÀ -> the stress shows that the word is monosyllabic and that is pronounced /dʒa/ and not /'dʒia/ with a hiatus
* PIÙ -> the stress shows that the word is monosyllaboc and that is pronounced /pju/ and not /'piu/ with a hiatus
* GIÙ -> pronounced /dʒu/ and not /'dʒiu/


In Italian, there are three accent marks:
- to distinguish homograph words that only differs for the stress; '''NON''' '''mandatory for correct spelling'''


* Acute accent (á, é, í, ó, ú) - used over E and O to indicate stress on the final syllable of the word. For example, "caffè" (coffee) and "perché" (why).
* ÀNCORA -> "anchor" -- ANCÓRA -> "one more time" or "again"
* Grave accent (à, è, ì, ò, ù) - used over A, E, and O to indicate stress on the second-to-last syllable of the word. For example, "amico" (friend), "città" (city), and "tè" (tea).
* PRÌNCIPI -> "princes" -- PRINCÌPI -> "principles"
* Circumflex accent (â, ê, î, ô, û) - used over any vowel to indicate an altered pronunciation. It can also be used to differentiate between homographs (words that are spelled the same but have different meanings). For example, "andrò" (I will go) vs. "andò" (he/she went).


Special Characters:


Italian also has special characters that are unique to the language. These include:


* Æ/æ (ash) - used in some Italian words of Greek origin, such as "paese" (country).
In Italian the circumflex accent and the umlaut accent were used once but nowadays they are never used by Italians (with some very rare exceptions).
* Ç/ç (cedilla) - used before A, O, and U to give the C a soft sound, like "ch" in English. For example, "città" (city), "fettuccine" (ribbon-shaped pasta), and "giocare" (to play).
* Ñ/ñ (tilde) - used in some Italian words of Spanish origin or borrowed from Spanish, such as "compañero" (companion) and "piñata" (a decorated container filled with candy and toys).
* À, È, Ì, Ò, Ù - these letters are not accentuated, but they are written with grave accent marks to differentiate between homonyms such as "e" (and) and "è" (is).


Learning how to correctly use and pronounce these special characters and accents is important to improve your Italian language skills.


In the next section, we will focus on some common Italian words and phrases that will be useful in everyday life.
'''APOSTROPHE'''


The Italian language uses the apostrophe like French or English. It usually stands at the end of a word when some of the final letters are dropped for phonetic reasons.


L'AQUILA -> "L' " stands for "LA" in front of words beginning with a vowel


== Sources ==
UN'OCA -> UN' stands for "UNA" in front of words beginning with a vowel
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garifuna_language Garifuna Language]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garifuna_people Garifuna People]


UN PO' -> PO' stands for "POCO": this is a very common Italian expression which can be translated as "a little, a bit"
TUTT'ALTRO -> TUTT' stands for "TUTTO"
C'È -> C' stands for "CI": This expression means "there is"
== Conclusion ==
Learning the Italian alphabet is an important and necessary first step in becoming proficient in Italian. The good news is that the Italian alphabet has a lot in common with English, which means that some letters are pronounced the same in both languages. While the accent marks and diacritics might seem challenging, once you understand their use and meaning, they will become second nature. In next lessons, we'll learn about nouns and articles, which will be the next step in communicating effectively in Italian. Have fun learning!
<span class='maj'></span>
==Sources==
* [https://www.thinkinitalian.com/the-italian-alphabet/ The Italian alphabet]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_language Italian language - Wikipedia]
* [https://www.learnita.net/italian-grammar-alphabet/ Italian Grammar lesson 1 - Alphabet]
*https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/accento-grafico_(Enciclopedia-dell'Italiano)/
<span link>Having concluded this lesson, consider checking out these related pages: [[Language/Italian/Grammar/Accent-mark-to-distinguish-a-word|Accent mark to distinguish a word]] & [[Language/Italian/Grammar/Imperfect-Tense|Imperfect Tense]].</span>
{{#seo:
{{#seo:
|title=Learn about Garifuna language and people
|title=Italian Grammar - Italian Alphabet
|keywords=Garifuna, language, culture, history, people, Central America, African, Amerindian
|keywords=Italian, Alphabet, Pronunciation, Diacritics, Accents, Italian Language
|description=Gain knowledge about the Garifuna people, their culture, history, language and more in this informative lesson.
|description=Learning the Italian alphabet is a crucial element in becoming proficient in Italian. This lesson will teach you everything you need to know, including pronunciation, accents, and diacritics.
}}
}}
==Videos==
===Learn the Italian Alphabet: letters and sounds (Italian Pronunciation ...===
<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF1nqgmXwew</youtube>
===L'ALFABETO ITALIANO - Italian Alphabet & Phonetics - YouTube===
<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1P50kb9G74</youtube>
===Spelling the ITALIAN ALPHABET with CITY NAMES - YouTube===
<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEUgx9-Qx4Q</youtube>
===Learn Italian Alphabets Pronunciation With Examples - YouTube===
<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMTEqtgBzZc</youtube>


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Italian Grammar - Italian Alphabet

Italian's alphabet contains 21 letters (5 vowels and 16 consonants). The letters J, K, W, X, and Y are only used in foreign words, and in scientific or technical terms of foreign origin. Nowadays it is common to use the English alphabet instead of the Italian one.


Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Conditional Subjunctive & Definite Articles.

Italian Alphabet

The Italian alphabet includes the following 26 letters:

Italian Name of the letter /IPA/ Pronunciation in words /IPA/ Comparison with other languages
A /a/ /a/ like in Castellano "pAdre"; the English 'a' has many pronunciations according to what letters come before or after it: the closest sound to the Italian one could be the /ʌ/ sound in "cUp".
B /bi/ /b/ like in English "Brave"
C /tʃi/ /tʃ/ or /k/ like in English "CHurCH" (/tʃ/) before 'e' or 'i'; like in English "Car" (/k/) before 'a', 'o', 'u' or any other consonant. See letter 'h' and 'i' for more details
D /di/ /d/ like in English "Dog"
E /e/ or /ɛ/ /e/ or /ɛ/ like in English "red" (/ɛ/) or in Castellano "buEno" (/e/).


In Italian pronouncing /e/ or /ɛ/ is not as import as in French: choosing one sound or the other does not compromise the communication. In fact every Italian uses them according to regional inflections: even if this letter may be pronounced in two ways by most Italians, it is always considered as a single vowel

F /'ɛf:e/ /f/ like in English "Fish"
G /dʒi/ /dʒ/ or /g/ like in English "Gem" (/dʒ/) before 'e' or 'i'; like in English "Gum" (/g/) before 'a', 'o', 'u' or any other consonant. See letter 'h' and 'i' for more details
H /ˈak:a/ /-/ (silent) is always silent like in Castellano


In Italian it is used to maintain sounds /k/ and /g/ before soft vowels 'e' and 'i'. In fact:

- CE -> read /tʃe/ -- CHE -> read /ke/

- CI -> read /tʃi/ -- CHI -> read /ki/

- GE -> read /dʒe/ -- GHE -> read /ge/

- GI -> read /dʒi/ -- GHI -> read /gi/


Letter 'h' is also used in front of some persons of the verb "to have" conjugated in present indicative to distinguish them from homophone words:

- HO -> I have -- O -> or

- HAI -> you have -- AI -> "to the" (preposition plus definitive article)

- HA -> he/she/it has -- A -> "to" (preposition)

- HANNO -> they have -- ANNO -> year

I /i/ /i/, /j/, /-/ (silent) like in English "mEEt".


'i' is also used to maintain sounds /tʃ/ and /dʒ/ before hard vowels 'a', 'o', 'u' as long as they are considered inside the same syllable. In these cases 'i' is silent. In fact:

- CA -> read /ka/ -- CIA -> read //tʃa/ (it's pronounced /'tʃao/ and not /'tʃjao/)

- CO -> read /ko/ -- CIO -> read //tʃo/

- CU -> read /ku/ -- CIU -> read //tʃu/

- GA -> read /ga/ -- GIA -> read /dʒa/

- GO -> read /go/ -- GIO -> read /dʒo/

- GU -> read gu/ -- GIU -> read /dʒu/


In Italian some words require a silent 'i' in syllables CIE, GIE or SCIE, even if vowel 'e' is already soft by itself. In fact you may find:

- CIE -> read as CE

- GIE -> read as GE

- SCIE -> read as SCE (/ʃe/)


When 'i' comes before another vowel and is inside tha same syllable (apart from the case mentioned above!) it is pronounced 'j' like in English "Yesterday"

J /dʒej/ or /i 'luŋga/ /j/ or /dʒ/ only in foreign words, mostly pronounced as in the native language
K /'kap:a/ /k/ only in foreign words, mostly pronounced as in the native language
L /'ɛl:e/ /l/ like in English "Lion"
M /'ɛm:e/ /m/ like 'in English "Mouse"
N /'ɛn:e/ /n/, /ŋ/ or /ɱ/ like in English "Nice"; it changes to /ŋ/ before sounds /k/ or /g/ and to /ɱ/ before sounds /f/ or /v/. These should natural allophones of sound /n/ for most languages.
O /ɔ/ or /o/ /ɔ/ or /o/ like in English "mOre" /o/ or in English /lOt/ /ɔ/


In Italian pronouncing /o/ or /ɔ/ is not as import as in other monosyllabic languages: choosing one sound or the other does not compromise the communication. In fact every Italian uses them according to regional inflections: even if this letter may be pronounced in two ways by most Italians, it is always considered as a single vowel

P /pi/ /p/ like in English "Pen"
Q /ku/ /k/ like in English "Quit" /k/. It is only used when followed by U+VOWEL (-QUA- /kwa/, -QUE /kwe/-, -QUI /kwi//-, -QUO- /kwo/) inside the same syllable.

Letter 'q' is quite tricky in Italian: in fact it has the same sound as letter 'c' when found in the same position inside a word. Notice how the syllables with letter 'q' or 'c' in the following words have the same pronunciation but different spelling:

- QUALE -> read /'kwale -- VACUA -> read /'vakwa/

- QUESTO -> read /'kwesto/ -- INNOCUE -> read /i'n:ɔkwe/

- QUINDI -> read /'kwindi/ -- TACCUINO -Z read /ta'k:wino/

- QUOTA -> read /'kwɔta/ -- CUORE -> read /'kwɔre

R /'ɛr:e/ /r/ or /ɾ/ like in Castellano "Rosa". Italian 'r' is pronounced with a rolling sound made by rapidly flipping the end of the tongue up and down against the roof of the mouth); It may be softer like /ɾ/ between vowels or at the beginning of a word (like Americans usually pronounce 't' between vowels, for example in "iT is" /ɪɾɪz/)
S /'ɛs:e/ /s/ or /z/ like in English "Sun" /s/ or in English "boyS" /z/. Unlike Castellano, Italian 's' has two pronunciations.

- /s/ before dull consonant sounds (/sk/, /sp/, /st/, /sf/ or at the beginning of a word when followed by a vowel (exactly like in English "Silence")

- /z/ before vibrant consontant sounds (/zg/,/zb/, /zd/, /zv/, /zl/, /zm/, /zn/) or between two vowels (/aza/, /uzo/, /ezu/ etc.)


These are just general rules: according to regional inflections you may hear different ways Italians pronunce this letter, but choosing one sound or the other does not compromise the communication

T /ti/ /t/ like in Castellano "Tener"; the English 't' is usually followed by an expiration at the beginnig of a word when followed by a vowel (like in the word "time") which does not exist in Italian
U /u/ /u/ or /w/ like in English "cOOl"; letter 'u' can be found as a half consonant or half vowel sound when followed by another vowel inside the same syllable, in which case it is pronounced /w/ like in English "What"
V /vi/ or /vu/ /v/ like in English "Very"
W /vu 'dop:ja/ /w/ or /v/ only in foreign words, mostly pronounced as in the native language
X /iks/ /ks/ only in foreign words, mostly pronounced as in the native language
Y /'ipsilon/ /j/ or /i/ only in foreign words, mostly pronounced as in the native language
Z /'dzɛta/ /dz/ or /ts/ like in English "geTS" or like a fast pronounciation of the English "reD Zone";

The Italian 'z' is quite tricky: the correct pronunciation should be learnt by heart since there is no rule at all that could teach you when to say /ts/ and when to say /dz/. In fact every Italian, according to their regional inflection choose to use one sound or the other for each word: this does not compromise our communication anyway.


CLUSTERS OF LETTERS INSIDE THE SAME SYLLABLE

Some sounds do not have a specific letter, but a cluster of letters

GN: this cluster is always followed by a vowel and must be pronounced /ɲ/ (GNA /ɲa/, GNE /ɲe/, GNI /ɲi/, GNO /ɲo/, GNU /ɲu/). This cluster is prounced as /gn/ only in some technical or scientific terms. Notice that in rare cases syllable GNA must be spelled GNIA even if letter I is silent. (example: DISEGNIAMO, REGNIAMO etc.)

GLI: this cluster is always followed by vowel 'I' alone or 'I + other vowels' and must be pronounced /ʎ/ (GLIA (ʎa), GLIE (ʎe), GLI (ʎi) GLIO (ʎo), GLIU (ʎu). This cluster is pronounced as /gl/ almost only in technical or scientific terms

SCI/SCE: 'SC' plus soft vowels 'E' and 'I' is pronounced /ʃ/; to reproduce sound /ʃ/ before other vowels, letter 'I' must always be used (SCIA /ʃa/, SCE /ʃe/, SCI /ʃi/, SCIO /ʃo/ SCIU /ʃu/); notice that syllable SCE must sometimes be spelled SCIE even if its pronunciation does not change. (example: SCIENZA, SCIENZIATO, SCIENTIFICO etc.)

Accents and Diacritics

ACCENTS

Every language uses accents for different purposes and in different ways.

Nowadays the Italian language uses two accents which are placed only above vowels.

One is the acute accent which may be found only on É and Ó and the other one is the grave accent which may be found on any vowel À È Ì Ò Ù.

As you can see, only E and O admit two types of accent: you should pick the grave accents on these vowels only when they are pronounced open /ɛ/ or /ɔ/, while you should use the acute accent when they are pronounced closed /e/ or /o/. For the other vowels only the grave accents is the correct one.

They are used:

- to distinguish homophone words that have a different grammar role (like in Castellano or French); mandatory for correct spelling

  • LA -> feminine singular article -- LÀ -> adverb "there"
  • SI -> pronoun for "itself, himself, herself" -- SÌ -> "yes"
  • NE -> pronoun that means "of this, that, these, those" -- NÉ -> "nor, neither"
  • DA -> preposition "from" -- DÀ -> he/she/it gives (verb)
  • E -> "and" -- È -> it, she, he is (verb)

- to mark the stress of a plurisyllabic word when it falls on the very last letter; mandatory for correct spelling

  • VERITÀ -> stress on 'a'
  • PERÒ -> stress on 'o'
  • VIRTÙ -> stress on 'u'
  • COMPÌ -> stress on 'i'

- marking the stress of a monosyllabic word when it contains I + VOWEL and the stress falls on this very last vowel: in these cases you know you must not pronounce the vowels as a hiatus; mandatory for correct spelling

  • GIÀ -> the stress shows that the word is monosyllabic and that is pronounced /dʒa/ and not /'dʒia/ with a hiatus
  • PIÙ -> the stress shows that the word is monosyllaboc and that is pronounced /pju/ and not /'piu/ with a hiatus
  • GIÙ -> pronounced /dʒu/ and not /'dʒiu/

- to distinguish homograph words that only differs for the stress; NON mandatory for correct spelling

  • ÀNCORA -> "anchor" -- ANCÓRA -> "one more time" or "again"
  • PRÌNCIPI -> "princes" -- PRINCÌPI -> "principles"


In Italian the circumflex accent and the umlaut accent were used once but nowadays they are never used by Italians (with some very rare exceptions).


APOSTROPHE

The Italian language uses the apostrophe like French or English. It usually stands at the end of a word when some of the final letters are dropped for phonetic reasons.

L'AQUILA -> "L' " stands for "LA" in front of words beginning with a vowel

UN'OCA -> UN' stands for "UNA" in front of words beginning with a vowel

UN PO' -> PO' stands for "POCO": this is a very common Italian expression which can be translated as "a little, a bit"

TUTT'ALTRO -> TUTT' stands for "TUTTO"

C'È -> C' stands for "CI": This expression means "there is"

Conclusion

Learning the Italian alphabet is an important and necessary first step in becoming proficient in Italian. The good news is that the Italian alphabet has a lot in common with English, which means that some letters are pronounced the same in both languages. While the accent marks and diacritics might seem challenging, once you understand their use and meaning, they will become second nature. In next lessons, we'll learn about nouns and articles, which will be the next step in communicating effectively in Italian. Have fun learning!

Sources


Having concluded this lesson, consider checking out these related pages: Accent mark to distinguish a word & Imperfect Tense.


Videos

Learn the Italian Alphabet: letters and sounds (Italian Pronunciation ...

L'ALFABETO ITALIANO - Italian Alphabet & Phonetics - YouTube

Spelling the ITALIAN ALPHABET with CITY NAMES - YouTube

Learn Italian Alphabets Pronunciation With Examples - YouTube


Table of Contents - Italian Course - 0 to A1

Introduction to Italian Language


Daily Life Expressions


Italian Culture and Tradition


Past and Future Tenses


Social and Work Life


Italian Literature and Cinema


Subjunctive and Imperative Moods


Science and Technology


Italian Politics and Society


Compound Tenses


Arts and Design


Italian Language and Dialects


Next Lesson — Nouns and Articles ▶️

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