The Alphabet in Italian {or how to make sure you’re understood speaking la bella lingua}

To be completely transparent, I don’t know if I was ever patient enough to sit down and learn the Italian alphabet…or any alphabet for that matter besides the one I was required to learn in English.

This lack of education, however, has caused me enough pain to know that I should’ve just sat my butt down and LEARNED THE ALPHABET.

To this day, I still pronounce the vowel “o” wrong with some of my words, but I have managed to pick up a great deal of the pronunciation just by listening and speaking a lot.

{Oh and being corrected a lot, too – especially by my Italian “ex ragazzo”}

In order to save you a little bit of the pain that I went through, here’s a comprehensive guide to how the alphabet works in Italian.

Take just fifteen minutes to read it through, absorb it, and put it to use.

L’alfabeto Italiano

Traditionally, there are 21 “lettere” in the Italian alphabet, but because of foreign words, five more are included.

Here are the original 21

On the very left, you’ll find the uppercase/lowercase, then the Italian spelling, and then my interpretation of how it’s pronounced.

• Aa – a – ah
• Bb – bi – bee
• Cc – ci – chee
• Dd – di – dee
• Ee – e-  eh
• Ff – effe – EHf-fe
• Gg – gi – jee
• Hh – acca – AHK-kah
• Ii – i – ee
• Ll – elle – EL-leh
• Mm – emme – EM-meh
• Nn – enne – EN-neh
• Oo – o – oh
• Pp – pi – pee
• Qq – qu –  ku
• Rr – erre – EhR-reh
• Ss – esse -EhS-seh
• Tt – ti – tee
• Uu – u – oo
• Vv – vi  – vee
• Zz – zeta – ZEH-tah

Here are the 5 that were added

•  Jj – i lunga – ee LOON-gah

CPF: Even though “i lunga” is correct, they just call it “jay.”

• Kk – cappa – KAHP-pah
• Ww – doppia vu – DOHP-pee-ah VU
• Xx – ics – eeks
• Yy – ipsilon – HEEP-see-lon

*You might also hear “i greca – ee GREH-kah” for Yy although it is far less common.

You’ll see the above five far less just because it’s used with foreign words, like:

Jazz

Ti piace il jazz?

Can’t see the video player? Watch in YouTube.

• Kamikaze
• Kebab

Voglio mangiare un kebab. – I want to eat a kebab.

• Vodka
• Whisky

“5 consigli per gustare il whisky scozzese” – 5 pieces of advice for drinking Scottish whiskey

• Weekend

Com’è andato il weekend? – How was your weekend?

• Box
• Xenofobia
• Yen

 Hear the alphabet {and practice your Italian comprehension} with this video.

Can’t see the video? Watch it on YouTube.

But, even though you know that now, it’s SUPER important that you know exactly how to pronounce the vowels.

Now, there are five vowels, but seven possible different sounds.

Vowels in Italian

In English, we have short + long vowels {compare the “a” in canine to call}, but Italian doesn’t have this difference.

However, the “e” and the “o” both have open + closed sounds.

i

English word: sweet {ee}

Say it out loud in Italian: i vini {wines}

e  {open}

English word: jet {eh}

Say it out loud in Italian: ecco, bene

e – {closed}

English word: date {ay}

Say it out loud in Italian: mela

a

English word: father {ah}

Say it out loud in Italian: Tua sorella è bella. – Your sister is beautiful.

o – {open}

English word: soft {aw}

Say it out loud in Italian: cosa {thing}

o – {closed}

English word: oh

Say it out loud in Italian: voce

u

English word: drool {oo}

Say it out loud in Italian: luce {light}

When it comes to differentiating whether to the use the closed/open “o” or “e,” it really is a matter of listening and learning.

There’s no magic Italian dust that we can sprinkle to just inherently know the difference. {Although I don’t want to rule that out because that would be a great business venture.}

Pronouncing the consonants

Below you’ll find a list of the consonants with some words to practice so you can get your mouth a little more comfortable with the sounds.

D + T

Remember: The tip of the tongue is right at the top of your upper teeth and there should be no point where breath is pushed out of the mouth.

For example, when we say the word “two,” we push out a lot of breath. We aren’t doing that with “D” or “T” in Italian.

Italian words: due {two}, vado {I go}, modo {way}, dentro {inside}

Italian words: alto {tall}, tempo {weather} ****And “tempo” also means “Time”****

Exception: When you say words like “tre {three}” or “altri {other},” you’re going to feel more breath coming through and that’s okay because it’s coming from the rolling “R.”

H

Remember: It’s ALWAYS silent.

Italian words: hotel {hotel}, ha {She/he/it has}, hamburger {hamburger}, Hawaii {Hawaii}

L

Remember: It has a sharper sound {say “lose” and feel how smooth the “l” is.} You want a sharper, more defined “l” in Italian.

Italian words: la {feminine article for the}, libro {book}, litigare {to fight}

P

Remember: Very similar to English, but feels more open.

Italian words: patata {potatoe}, palco {stage}, palazzo {**building**}

Q

Remember: The letter “u” will ALWAYS come after it.

Italian words: questa {this}, quale {**which**}, qua {here}

R

Remember: It is a trilled, or rolling, R created by placing the tip of your tongue just behind your top front teeth.

Italian words: erratico {eratic}, errore {error}

If you really want to master the rolling R or you are having troubles, go this much more in-depth article: How to Master the “R,” “GLI,” and “GN,” Sounds in Italian.

S

Remember: There are two kinds of “s” – one that sounds like a “z” and one that sounds lighter like the “s” from “sail”

Italian words with the “z” sound: rosa {pink}, esame {test}, rosolare {sear/pan fry}

Italian words with the “sail” sound: rosso {red}, serata {evening}, sereno {clear, calm}

C

Remember: When you put a “c” before an “i” or an “e” – like in “ciao” or “baci” – it sounds like the “ch” in “children.”

Italian words: ciao {hello}, baci {kisses}, ciascuno {each, every}

But in all other cases, “c” sounds like the “c/k” in “caffè.”

Italian words: caro {dear, expensive}, scrivere {to write}, scusare {to excuse}

G

Remember: When you put a “g” before an “i” or an “e” – like in “gentile” or “pagina” – it sounds like the “g” in “genuine.”

Italian words: gentile {nice}, pagina {page}, gestire {to manage}, gettare {to throw}

But in all other cases, “g” sounds like the “g” in “golf”.

Italian words: guerra {war}, guida {guide}, gara {race}

Consonant combinations

ch + gh

Remember: When you put a “ch” or “gh” are before an “i” or an “e” – like in “chi” or “ghiro” – the sounds are hard like in “key” and “gap.”

Italian words: chi {who}, perché {why}, ghiro {sleepyhead}, paghi {you pay}

gli

Remember: The closest sound we have to this is the “lli” in bullion or million.

Italian words: figli {sons}, famiglia {family}, voglia {desire, wish}

gn

Remember: The closest sound we have to this in English is the “ny” in canyon.

Italian words: gnocchi {potato pasta}, agnello {lamb}, ogni {each}

If you really want to master the “GLI” and the “GN” sounds or are having troubles, go this much more in-depth article: How to Master the “R,” “GLI,” and “GN,” Sounds in Italian.

sc

Remember: When you put “sc” before an “i” or an “e,” it’s soft and sounds like the “sh” in “she.”

Italian words: sciare {to ski}, scivolare {to slide}, pesce {fish}

sch

Remember: When you put a “sch” before an “i” or an “e” – like in “schifo”  – the sounds are hard like in “ski.”

Italian words: schifo {disgusting}, mosche {flies}, scherzo {joke}

Consonants that are the same in English

B, F, M, N, & V

Questions/a story to share? Leave them in the comments below.