Everything You Need to Know About the Italian Alphabet
As with learning any new language, when you begin your journey towards fluency in Italian, you need to start with the alphabet. Familiarizing yourself with the Italian alphabet is the best way to master this beautiful language and it can be quite fun along the way! The Italian language is known for its melodious sounds and expressive words, and understanding how to pronounce the Italian alphabet can make it easier to sound like a native speaker. To help you get started, we’ll go over a comprehensive introduction to the Italian alphabet, covering pronunciation, spelling, and helpful tips to make your learning experience even more fun.
How Many Letters are in the Italian Alphabet?
The alphabet in Italian is made up of 21 letters. This can seem a bit odd for English speakers, as we have 26 letters. However, there’s no mistake! The Italian alphabet doesn’t use some of the letters that are commonly found in English. For example, the Italian alphabet has no such letters as J, K, W, X, and Y. The only time these will appear in an Italian word is if the word is foreign and there’s no translation available. These letters may also appear occasionally in company names or license plates and acronyms. That means the alphabet in Italian looks like this:
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, Z
Italian letters maintain their gender neutrality, just like in many other languages. However, when used in a sentence, they’re preceded by the article "il" for masculine words and "la" for feminine words.
Italian Alphabet Spelling
Like the numbers in Italian, one of the great advantages of the Italian alphabet is that it's spelled phonetically, which means words are pronounced exactly as they are written. Here's a chart that outlines how each letter in the Italian alphabet is spelled:
| Letters of the Italian Alphabe | Italian Alphabet Spelling |
|---|---|
| Aa | a |
| Bb | bi |
| Cc | ci |
| Dd | di |
| Ee | e |
| Ff | effe |
| Gg | gi |
| Hh | acca |
| Ii | i |
| Ll | elle |
| Mm | emme |
| Nn | enne |
| Oo | o |
| Pp | pi |
| qu | |
| Rr | erre |
| Ss | esse |
| Tt | ti |
| Uu | u |
| Vv | vi |
| Zz | zeta |
How to Pronounce the Italian Alphabet
Pronunciation in Italian is quite consistent, and the Italian alphabet is no exception. To help you practice, download Tandem and match with a native Italian speaker! In the meantime, here's a guide to the pronunciation of each letter, along with an English word comparison:
| Italian Alphabet | Pronunciation of the Letter | Sound of the Italian Letter in an English Word |
|---|---|---|
| Aa | ah | like the 'a' in father |
| Bb | beh | like the 'b' in baby |
| Cc | cheh | like the 'k' in cat |
| Dd | deh | like the 'd' in dog |
| Ee | eh | like the 'e' in bed |
| Ff | effeh | like the 'f' in fish |
| Gg | jee | like the 'g' in giraffe |
| Hh | ah-kkah | mostly silent or soft like the 'h' in hello |
| Ii | ee | like the 'ee' in see |
| Ll | elle | like the 'l' in love |
| Mm | emme | like the 'm' in mother |
| Nn | enne | like the 'n' in new |
| Oo | oh | like the 'o' in home |
| Pp | pee | like the 'p' in pizza |
| koo | like the 'k' in kite | |
| Rr | erre | rolled 'r' sound |
| Ss | esse | like the 's' in sun |
| Tt | tee | like the 't' in table' |
| Uu | oo | like the 'oo' in food |
| Vv | vee | like the 'v' in victory |
| Zz | zed | like the 'z' in zebra |
How to Pronounce the Italian ‘G’
Italian pronunciation is generally straightforward, and most letters have clear, consistent sounds. However, there are a few exceptions, such as with the letter ‘g.’ There is both a hard ‘g’ sound and a soft ‘g’ sound, which will need to be used based on which letters come after.
A hard ‘g’ sound is pronounced like the ‘g’ in the English word ‘gate.’ You’ll use this pronunciation in the following instances: ga-, go-, gu-, ghi, and _ghe-. That means the ‘g’ in spaghetti is considered hard.
A soft ‘g’ sound is pronounced kind of like the ‘j’ in English, similar to how you’d say the ‘j’ in ‘jelly.’ You’ll use a soft ‘g’ pronunciation whenever you see letter combinations such as gi- or ge-.
How to Pronounce the Italian ‘C’
Another tricky letter in the Italian alphabet to pronounce is ‘c.’ There are several different sounds that a ‘c’ can make based on the letters that surround it.
Sometimes, a ‘c’ will make a hard ‘k’ sound, similar to how the ‘c’ in ‘car’ sounds in English. You’ll want to use the ‘k’ pronunciation in the following instances: ca-, co-, che-, and chi-.
Other times, a ‘c’ will make a ‘ch’ sound similar to the ‘ch’ in the English word ‘charge.’ You’ll use this pronunciation whenever you see letter combinations such as ci- or ce-.
Italian Alphabet Song
One enjoyable way to practice pronunciation and memorize the Italian alphabet is using an Italian alphabet song. Music can aid memory retention, making learning more fun and effective. You can find various Italian alphabet songs on YouTube to supplement your learning. These songs often incorporate the rhythm and melody of the language, making it easier to remember each letter. Here’s one of the most popular Italian alphabet songs on YouTube.
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Mastering the Italian alphabet is a fundamental step in your journey toward fluency in Italian. Fortunately, Italian's phonetic nature and consistent pronunciation make it accessible and enjoyable to learn. As you continue your Italian studies, you'll discover the rich culture and history accompanying this melodious language. Buona fortuna (good luck) in learning Italian! And, if you want a bit more help, Tandem is here. Tandem is a unique language exchange program that connects like-minded individuals around the world. It’s a great way to connect with native speakers and get help with your pronunciation.
Tandem works to help our members foster a deeper understanding of language while improving fluency and building long-lasting friendships. All you need to do is sign up, match with a native speaker of your target language, and start communicating. To join our community and work on your fluency, sign up for Tandem today.
