Italian Pronunciation Guide
By Dick Oakes
A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g,
H h, I i, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p,
Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v,
Z z
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia. It is spoken by over 60 million people.
Letters not listed below are pronounced approximately as in English.
A, a | - a as in father |
E, e | - e as in let; e as in grey |
I, i | - i as in machine |
O, o | - o as in gone; o as in hope |
U, u | - oo as in foot; w as in walk |
C, c | - ch as in child before e or i; c as in cat |
G, g | - g as in gymnastic before e or i; g as in go |
H, h | - h is always silent |
R, r | - slightly rolled |
S, s | - s as in nose between vowels; s as in sit |
Z, z | - ts as in spits; ds as in pads |
OTHER SOUNDS: | |
Ch, ch | - c as in cat |
Gh, gh | - g as in go |
Gl, gl | - lli as in million |
Gn, gn | - ni as in onion |
Sc, sc | - sh as in shell before e or i; sk as in skip |
Zz, zz | - ts as in spits; ds as in pads |
VOWEL GROUPINGS: | |
a, e, o | - strong vowels |
i, u | - weak vowels |
Copyright © 2014 by Dick Oakes