Italian Pronunciation Rules: C, G, GN, GLI and Double Consonants

Italian is written almost exactly as it is spoken, which is a gift to learners. A few rules cover most of what you need.

The vowels

Italian has five pure vowels: a, e, i, o, u. They are short and clear, and never glide into other sounds the way English vowels often do. Say pasta as PAH-stah, not with an English "a".

Hard and soft C and G

The letters c and g have two sounds each, depending on the vowel that follows:

Letters	Sound	Example
ca, co, cu	k	casa, come, cura
ce, ci	ch	cena, città
che, chi	k	che, chiesa
ga, go, gu	hard g	gatto, gola, gusto
ge, gi	j	gelato, giorno
ghe, ghi	hard g	spaghetti, ghiaccio

The letter h is added purely to keep a hard sound before e or i.

Special combinations

Letters	Sound	Example
sci, sce	sh	sciare (to ski), scena
sc before a, o, u	sk	scuola, scala
gn	like ny in "canyon"	gnocchi, bagno
gli	like lli in "million"	figlio, famiglia
qu	kw	questo, quanto

Silent H

The letter h is never pronounced on its own. Ho (I have) sounds like o, and hotel starts with a vowel sound.

Double consonants

Double letters are held longer, and they change the word. Say pala (shovel) and palla (ball) aloud, holding the l in the second one. This matters more than learners expect, and later articles cover it in detail.

Stress

Most Italian words are stressed on the second-to-last syllable: ami-ci, ita-lia-no. When stress falls on the final vowel, it's marked with an accent: città, caffè.

Practice words

• ciao — chow
• pizza — PEET-tsah
• gnocchi — NYOK-kee
• famiglia — fah-MEE-lyah
• scusi — SKOO-zee

Tips

1. Say each vowel cleanly.
2. Check the letter after c and g.
3. Use the dictionary to see accents and spellings clearly.

Look up any word with English Italian Dictionary →