Italian is a phonetic language, meaning that it is spelled like it sounds. That said, there are a number of letter combinations that are governed by special rules of pronunciation. While these differences of pronunciation follow predictable patterns, they can definitely give a non-native speaker some difficulty at first. With enough practice, however, you can master them:
At the bottom of the page you will find an assessment to test your knowledge of the difficulties of Italian pronunciation.
Pronunciation of the letter 'C'
| Letter combination | Example words | Listen | |
| Hard 'c' sound | |||
| ca | caffè, casa | ||
| cu | cuoco, qualcuno | ||
| co | cocomero, corvo | ||
| che | forchetta, amiche | ||
| chi | Chianti, chiacchierare | ||
| Soft 'c' sound | Like the 'ch' in 'church' | ||
| cia | ciao, farmacia* | ||
| ciu | ciuccio, fanciulla | ||
| cio | arancione, abbraccio | ||
| ce | certo, cena | ||
| ci | cibo, cipolla |
*Note the 'i' is sometimes stressed.
Pronunciation of the letter 'G'
| Letter combination | Example words | Listen | |
| Hard 'g' sound | |||
| ga | gatto, pagare | ||
| gu | guerra, gusto | ||
| go | albergo, gonna | ||
| ghe | ghenga, spaghetti | ||
| ghi | laghi, ghiaccio | ||
| Soft 'g' sound | Like the English 'j' | ||
| gia | mangiare, archeologia* | ||
| giu | giusto, giudicare | ||
| gio | giocare, viaggio | ||
| ge | gelato, gennaio | ||
| gi | giorno, Giovanni |
Pronunciation of the letters 'sc'
| Letter combination | Example words | Listen | |
| The 'sc' sound | |||
| sca | scale, pescare | ||
| scu | scuola, scuro | ||
| sco | conosco, ascoltare | ||
| sche | pesche, scheda | ||
| schi | dischi, schiaffo | ||
| The 'sch' sound | |||
| scia | sciarpa, sciare* | ||
| sciu | conosciuto, asciugare | ||
| scio | lascio, liscio | ||
| sce | conoscere, pesce | ||
| sci | scimmia, pesci |
*Note the 'i' is sometimes stressed.
Pronunciation of the letters 'qu'
| Letter combination | Example words | Listen | |
| The 'qu' sound | |||
| qua | qualità, acqua | ||
| qu | quaderno, questo | ||
| quo | quoziente, quotidiano | ||
| que | quercia, quello | ||
| qui | aquila, quiete |
Test your knowledge of difficult Italian sounds by typing what you hear:
*Be sure to check the 'Speak text' button before you begin.