When learning a new language, the first thing you need to master is the alphabet and the pronunciation of each letter. The Italian alphabet has 21 letters, and it is quite similar to the English one. Apart from some unique sounds, Italian pronunciation is not very difficult for learners. Below, you'll find a list of all the letters. You can click on the letter symbols to hear the correct pronunciation.

Italian Alphabet:

• 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

Alphabet with Pronunciation and Examples

Here’s the alphabet with the names of each letter and an example word:

Special Letter Pronunciations

C

The letter C can have two different pronunciations:

• When followed by i or e, it is pronounced as a ch soft sound, as in cielo (sky).
• When followed by other vowels, it is pronounced as a hard k, as in casa (house).

G

The letter G behaves in a similar way to C:

• When followed by i or e, it is pronounced with a j sound, as in gatto (cat).
• When followed by other vowels, it has a hard g sound, as in gola (throat).

H

The letter H has no sound in Italian. It is used in words of foreign origin or to distinguish between two words that are otherwise pronounced the same e.g., anno meaning year vs. hanno meaning they have.

R

The letter R is pronounced with a rolled sound, produced by the tongue near the roof of the mouth. Example: ragazzo (boy), riccio (hedgehog).

Foreign Letters

Though the Italian alphabet consists of 21 letters, you may come across foreign letters, especially in borrowed words. These letters are pronounced the same way they are in English:

• J j – i lunga– Jeans
• K k – kappa– chilometro (kilometer)
• W w – vu doppia– whisky
• X x – ics– xilofono (xylophone)
• Y y – Ipsilon or i greca – yak

Common Sounds in Italian

Chi/che

Both chi and che are pronounced with a hard k sound, which distinguishes them from ci and ce.

Examples:

• Macchina (car)
• Occhio (eye)
• Chiesa (church)
• Forchetta (fork)

Ghi/ghe

Similarly, ghi and ghe are pronounced with a hard g sound:

• Margherita (daisy)
• Spaghetti (spaghetti)
• Traghetto (ferry)
• Ghiaccio (ice)

Sc

When the letter combination sc appears, it produces a sh sound.

Examples:

• Scarpa (shoe)
• Scopa (broom)
• Scrivere (to write)

Gn

The combination gn is pronounced like the ny in canyon.

Examples:

• Gnocchi (gnocchi)
• Bagno (bathroom)
• Montagna (mountain)

Gli

The combination gli is pronounced like the lli in million.

Examples:

• Figlio (son)
• Coniglio (rabbit)
• Foglia (leaf)

Sci

The combination sci is pronounced like sh in English.

Examples:

• Sci (skis)
• Prosciutto (ham)
• Sciare (to ski)

Stress and Accents in Italian

In Italian, stress generally falls on the second-to-last syllable, but it can vary. Some words have an accent mark to indicate where the stress falls. This accent is called the grave accent (accento grave), and it appears over the last vowel of the stressed syllable.

Examples:

• Città (city)
• Papà (father)
• Sofà (couch)

There are two types of accent marks for the letter e:

• È – The grave accent is pronounced with an open mouth. Example: Caffè (coffee).
• É – The acute accent is pronounced with a closed mouth. Example: Perché (why).

The difference in pronunciation is subtle, and you'll become more attuned to it as you listen to more Italian content.