Pronunciation is often the most neglected aspect in the study of Italian — and yet it is the first thing a native speaker notices. There are errors linked to features of Italian that do not exist in many other languages: almost all learners make them, but once recognised they can be corrected.
Don’t Make These Italian Pronunciation Mistakes
Mistake 1: The Wrong Stress in the Third Person Plural
In Italian, the tonic stress — that is, the syllable that carries the “weight” of the word — normally falls on the second-to-last syllable. However, there is one major exception: the third person plural of verbs, that is, the forms with “loro” [they].
Many learners, following the second-to-last syllable rule, pronounce:
- «loro scrivono» [they write] with stress on -vo- → scri-VO-no
- «loro leggono» [they read] with stress on -go- → leg-GO-no
The correct pronunciation is instead:
- «loro SCRIvono» [they write] → stress on the third-to-last syllable
- «loro LEGgono» [they read] → stress on the third-to-last syllable
The rule: in the third person plural, the stress never falls on the second-to-last syllable, but always on the third-to-last — or even earlier.
The Trick: Think of the First Person Singular
The stress in the third person plural falls in exactly the same position as in the first person singular (io [I]):
- «io SCRIvo» [I write] → «loro SCRIvono» [they write]
- «io LEGgo» [I read] → «loro LEGgono» [they read]
- «io DORmo» [I sleep] → «loro DORmono» [they sleep]
- «io PARlo» [I speak] → «loro PARlano» [they speak]
There are also verbs where the stress in the first person singular falls on the third-to-last syllable or even earlier. In these cases the plural follows the same position:
- «io Àbito» [I live/inhabit] → «loro Àbitano» [they live/inhabit] — not «a-bi-TA-no»
- «io co-MÙ-ni-co» [I communicate] → «loro co-MÙ-ni-ca-no» [they communicate] — not «co-mu-ni-CA-no»
- «io DÌ-men-ti-co» [I forget] → «loro DÌ-men-ti-ca-no» [they forget] — not «di-men-ti-CA-no»
Since Italian does not write the graphic accent on these words, there is no visual rule to fall back on. The only way to internalise these stress patterns is to listen to a great deal of Italian and train your ear over time.
Mistake 2: The Letter Z — Two Sounds in One Letter
The letter Z is the most unpredictable in the Italian alphabet: it can have two completely different sounds.
- Z “dura” [hard Z]: it is the combination TS pronounced in a blended way, quickly — as if T and S became a single sound. The vocal cords do not vibrate.
- Z “morbida” [soft Z]: it is the combination DZ pronounced in a blended way. Here the vocal cords vibrate.
To distinguish them, you can place your hand on your throat: with the soft Z you feel a vibration, with the hard Z you do not. It is the same difference that exists between F (no vibration) and V (with vibration).
Examples with the Hard Z (blended TS)
- «pizza» [pizza] → pi-TZa
- «stazione» [station] → sta-TZIO-ne
- «grazie» [thank you] → GRA-tzie
- «silenzio» [silence] → si-LEN-tzio
- «pazienza» [patience] → pa-TZIEN-tza
Examples with the Soft Z (blended DZ)
- «zaino» [backpack] → DZai-no
- «zero» [zero] → DZe-ro
- «mezzo» [half/middle] → MED-dzo
- «realizzare» [to realise/achieve] → rea-li-DZZA-re
- «zona» [zone/area] → DZO-na
Useful Rules to Help You Navigate
- When Z is at the beginning of a word, in most cases it is a soft Z: «zero, zona, zaino, zucchero, zio» [zero, zone, backpack, sugar, uncle].
- The suffix -zione always requires the hard Z: «situazione, conversazione, attenzione, nazione» [situation, conversation, attention, nation].
- The sequence Z + I + vowel requires the hard Z: «grazie, pulizia, agenzia, silenzio, anziano» [thank you, cleanliness, agency, silence, elderly person].
- The suffix -izzare and all its conjugated forms require the soft Z: «realizzare → io realizzo, lui realizza, loro realizzano» [to realise → I realise, he realises, they realise] — soft Z in all forms.
Important exception: the word «azienda» [company/business] appears to follow the Z+I+vowel rule — and therefore should have the hard Z. However, this is not the case: azienda has the soft Z → a-DZIEN-da. It is an exception that must be memorised separately.
Curiosity: a great many foreigners pronounce «pizza» with a soft Z, as «pi-DDZA». The correct pronunciation is instead «pi-TTZA», with the hard Z. Even Italy’s most famous word is mispronounced all over the world.
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Join the LearnAmo AcademyMistake 3: Letters that Are Written but Not Pronounced
One of the most insidious aspects of Italian is the presence of letters that are written but are completely silent. Many learners pronounce them because they see them written — but this is a mistake.
The Groups CIA/CIO/CIU and GIA/GIO/GIU
In the groups CIA, CIO, CIU and GIA, GIO, GIU, the I is not pronounced. Its only function is to indicate that the C or G are pronounced with a soft sound — like the CH in «cheese» or the J in «jump» in English. The I is just a visual signal.
- «ciao» [hello/goodbye] → pronounced CHAO — the I is not heard
- «cioccolato» [chocolate] → CIOC-co-la-to, with soft CH sound — silent I
- «giacca» [jacket] → JAC-ca — silent I
- «gioco» [game] → JO-co — silent I
- «Giovanni» [proper name: Giovanni] → Jo-VAN-ni — silent I
The Group SCIA/SCIO/SCIU
The same applies to SCIA, SCIO, SCIU: the I is silent and serves only to make SC pronounced with the SH sound — like «she» or «shower» in English.
- «sciarpa» [scarf] → SHAR-pa — the I is not pronounced
- «sciocco» [foolish/silly] → SHOC-co — silent I
- «asciugare» [to dry] → a-SHU-ga-re — silent I
“Historical” Silent I’s — the Most Insidious Case
In some words the I is written for historical reasons: in the original Latin word it was pronounced, but in modern Italian it is completely silent. There is no visual rule to help — you simply have to know it.
- «scienza» [science] → pronounced SHÈN-tza, not SHIÈN-tza — the I is not heard
- «coscienza» [conscience/awareness] → co-SHÈN-tza — silent I
- «società» [society/company] → so-che-TÀ — silent I
- «igiene» [hygiene] → i-JÈ-ne — silent I
- «specie» [species] → SPÈ-che — silent I
Curiosity: the word «conoscenza» [knowledge] has no I at all, and yet it is pronounced exactly like the final part of «coscienza» [conscience]. This shows that the I in «coscienza» is pointless from a pronunciation standpoint — it exists only for historical reasons.
A Special Case: Plurals in -CIE and -GIE
The plural of «camicia» [shirt] is «camicie» — with the I. That of «valigia» [suitcase] is «valigie» — also with the I. Is this I pronounced? No, it is silent here too. But then why is it written? Because of a precise spelling rule: the I is written if the preceding syllable ends in a vowel.
- «va-LI-gia» [suitcase] → the syllable -li- ends in a vowel → plural: «va-LI-gie» [suitcases] (I written, but silent)
- «ca-MI-cia» [shirt] → the syllable -mi- ends in a vowel → plural: «ca-MI-cie» [shirts] (I written, but silent)
- «a-RAN-cia» [orange] → the syllable -ran- ends in a consonant → plural: «a-RAN-ce» [oranges] (no I)
- «TOR-cia» [torch] → the syllable -tor- ends in a consonant → plural: «TOR-ce» [torches] (no I)
This rule affects only spelling, not pronunciation — but it is also useful for avoiding spelling mistakes.
Mistake 4: The Groups GL and GN — Sounds That Don’t Exist in Many Languages
The Group “GLI”
The group GLI is not pronounced as G + L + I separately: it is a single sound produced with the tongue pressed against the palate. Depending on your native language, you can approximate this sound in different ways:
- Spanish: similar to the LL in «llegar» or «llamar»
- Portuguese: similar to the LH in «filho»
- English: the central sound of «million» — that «ly» in the middle is very close to the Italian GLI
Practical examples:
- «figlio» [son] → fi-LYO (tongue on the palate)
- «famiglia» [family] → fa-MI-lya
- «aglio» [garlic] → A-lyo
- «voglio» [I want] → VO-lyo
- «meglio» [better] → ME-lyo
Common mistake: many people pronounce «figlio» by separating the letters — «fig-lio», with distinct G and L. The sound must instead be single and fluid.
The Group “GN”
GN is also a single sound. To approximate this sound from different languages:
- Spanish: identical to the Ñ in «mañana»
- French: like the GN in «champagne»
- English: the «ny» sound in the middle of «canyon»
Practical examples:
- «gnocchi» [gnocchi] → NYOc-chi
- «bagno» [bathroom] → BA-nyo
- «signore» [Mr/gentleman] → si-NYO-re
- «cognome» [surname] → co-NYO-me
- «montagna» [mountain] → mon-TA-nya
GN is always a single sound — never G + N separately.
Mistake 5: Double Consonants
In many languages, such as English, double letters are written but do not change the sound. In Italian, on the other hand, doubling physically lengthens the consonant sound — and this is not just a phonetic matter: the double can completely change the meaning of the word.
| Single | Meaning | Double | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| nono [nono] | 9th ordinal number | nonno [nonno] | grandfather |
| pena [pena] | sadness, sorrow | penna [penna] | pen |
| sete [sete] | thirst | sette [sette] | the number 7 |
| caro [caro] | dear, or expensive | carro [carro] | cart/wagon pulled by animals |
| capello [capello] | a single hair | cappello [cappello] | hat |
The double is pronounced simply by lengthening the consonant sound — as if there is a small pause or pressure on that consonant before continuing:
- «pena» [sadness] → normal N | «penna» [pen] → lengthened N: pen…na
- «sete» [thirst] → normal T | «sette» [seven] → lengthened T: set…te
- «caro» [dear] → normal R | «carro» [cart] → lengthened R: car…ro
Note: when Italians speak fast, double consonants are less audible. This can make them harder to catch when listening. When speaking, however, it is always better to pronounce them clearly: a native speaker will prefer to hear them slightly exaggerated rather than not hear them at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Know Where the Stress Falls in the Third Person Plural?
The most effective way is to think of the first person singular (io [I]): the stress falls in the same position. For example, if you know that you say «io PARlo» [I speak], you can deduce that the correct form is «loro PARlano» [they speak] and not «loro parLAno». For less common verbs, the only reliable strategy is to listen to a great deal of spoken Italian.
Is There a Rule for Distinguishing the Hard Z from the Soft Z?
Yes, there are some useful guidelines: Z at the beginning of a word is almost always soft; the suffix -zione always requires the hard Z; the sequence Z+I+vowel requires the hard Z; the suffix -izzare and all its forms require the soft Z. There are exceptions such as «azienda» [company/business], which must be memorised separately.
Why Are Some I’s Written but Not Pronounced?
For two different reasons. In some cases — such as in «ciao» [hello] or «gioco» [game] — the I serves as a visual signal to indicate that the C or G are pronounced with a soft sound. In other cases — such as in «scienza» [science] or «società» [society] — the I is kept for historical reasons, because it was present in the original Latin word, but in modern Italian it is completely silent.
Do Double Consonants Always Change the Meaning of a Word?
Not always, but very often they do — as shown by the pairs «pena/penna» [sadness/pen], «sete/sette» [thirst/seven] or «capello/cappello» [hair/hat]. For this reason it is important to pronounce them clearly, especially in written communication and formal contexts, where a mistake could cause misunderstandings.
How Do You Learn to Pronounce GLI and GN Correctly?
The most effective strategy is to start from a similar sound already present in your native language — such as the Spanish LL for GLI, or the Spanish Ñ for GN — and then refine it by listening to and repeating Italian words aloud. Slowly repeating words such as «figlio, famiglia, aglio» [son, family, garlic] or «gnocchi, bagno, montagna» [gnocchi, bathroom, mountain] helps to internalise these sounds progressively.
Understanding these mistakes brings you closer to a stronger command of Italian—learn more in our dedicated article on Italian accent and pronunciation.
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