How to Pronounce Italian Words

1. Pronounce vowels separately, even if they are next to each other in a word, unless there are three in a row. Pronounce 'a' like 'ah,' 'i' like 'ee,' and 'u' like 'oo.'

2. Say the vowels ''o' and 'e' in either of two ways. 'O' is pronounced either open as 'ah' or closed such as 'oh.' 'E' is pronounced like 'eh' or like 'ay.'

3. Speak most consonants as you would in English, except 'c,' 'g,' 'h,' 'r' and 'z.' Pronounce 'c' as 'ch' if it is before an 'i' or 'e' and otherwise like the English 'c.' Pronounce 'g' like an English 'j' if it is before an 'i' or 'e' and like an English 'g' otherwise. Don't pronounce 'h' at all, it is silent in Italian. Roll the 'r' as you would in Spanish. Pronounce 'z' like 'ds' or 'ts' in most Italian words.

4. Be careful with consonant combinations, which can be very different than English. Pronounce 'ch' like 'k' in English. Pronounce 'gh' as 'guh.' Pronounce 'gn' as 'ny' such as in 'banyan.' Pronounce 'sc' like 'sh' if it is in front of an 'i' or 'e' and as 'sk' otherwise. Also pronounce 'sch' like 'sk.'

5. Pronounce three vowels in a row as a single sound, known as a tripthong. The 'i' in a tripthong is usually silent if it is at the end of a word in Italian.

6. Accentuate any syllable that has an accent mark over it. Accent marks are often used in Italian and a word might have two different meanings that are spelled the same but with accent marks in different places.