Help:IPA/Italian

This is the pronunciation key for IPA transcriptions of Italian on Wikipedia.

It provides a set of symbols to represent the pronunciation of Italian in Wikipedia articles, and example words that illustrate the sounds that correspond to them. Integrity must be maintained between the key and the transcriptions that link here. Some keys are built on consensus more strongly than others; if the conventions of this key are already in wide use, any substantive change to it should be discussed on the talk page first as it would affect a large number of articles.

Shortcut: H:IPA-IT

The charts below show how the International Phonetic Alphabet represents pronunciations of Standard Italian in Simple Wikipedia articles. For a guide to adding IPA characters to Simple Wikipedia articles, see {{IPA-it}}, {{IPAc-it}} and Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Pronunciation § Entering IPA characters.

Consonants^[1]
IPA	Examples	English approximation
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	banca, cibo	about
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	dove, idra	today
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	zaino, azalea, mezzo^[2]^[3]	dads
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	gelo, giù, magia, judo, gadget	job
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	fatto, cifra, phon	fast
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	gatto, agro, ghetto, glicosio^[4]	again
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	ieri, saio, più, Jesi, yacht, news	yes
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	cosa, acuto, finché, quei, kiwi, koala	scar
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	lato, tela, glicosio^[4]	ladder
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	figli, glielo, maglia^[3]	billion
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	mano, amare, input^[5]	mother
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	anfibio, invece^[5]	comfort
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	nano, punto, pensare, mangiare^[5]	nest
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	unghia, anche, dunque^[5]	sing
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	gnocco, ogni^[3]^[5]	canyon
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	primo, ampio, apertura	spin
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	Roma, quattro, morte^[6]	trilled r
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	sano, scusa, presentire, pasto^[7]	sorry
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	scena, scià, pesci, flash, chic^[3]	shoe
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	tranne, mito, altro, thai	star
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	zio, sozzo, marzo^[2]^[3]	cats
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	certo, ciao, farmacia, chip	check
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	vado, povero, watt	vent
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	uova, guado, qui, week-end	wine
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	sbirro, presentare, asma^[7]	amazon
Non-native consonants
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	hobby, hertz^[8]	house
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	Thatcher, Pérez^[9]	thing
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	jota, Bach, khamsin^[10]	loch (Scottish English)
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	Fuji, garage, casual	vision

Vowels^[11]
IPA	Examples	English approximation
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	alto, sarà, must	fast (Scottish English)
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	vero, perché, liaison	fade
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	etto, cioè, spread	bed
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	viso, sì, zia, feed, team, sexy	ski
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	ombra, otto, show, coach	story
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	otto, sarò, Sean	off
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	usi, ragù, tuo, tour	rule
Non-native vowels
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	viveur, goethiano, Churchill^[12]	murder (RP)
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	parure, brûlé, Führer^[13]	future (Scottish English)

Suprasegmentals
IPA	Examples	Explanation
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	Cennini [tʃenˈniːni]	primary stress
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	altamente [ˌaltaˈmente]	secondary stress^[14]
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	continuo [konˈtiːnu.o]	syllable break
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.	primo [ˈpriːmo]	long vowel^[15]

Notes

↑ Except /z/, all consonants after a vowel and before /r/, /l/, a vowel or a semivowel may be geminated. Gemination in IPA is represented by doubling the consonant (fatto [ˈfatto], mezzo [ˈmɛddzo]), and can usually be told from orthography. After stressed vowels and certain prepositions and conjunctions, word-initial consonants become geminated too (syntactic gemination): va via [ˌva vˈviːa].
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ⟨z⟩ represents both /ts/ and /dz/. The article on Italian orthography explains how they are used.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 ^3.4 /ts, dz, ʃ, ɲ, ʎ/ are always geminated after a vowel.
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 ⟨gli⟩ represents /ʎ/ or /ʎi/, except in roots of Greek origin, when preceded by another consonant, and in a few other words, where it represents /ɡli/.
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 ^5.3 ^5.4 A nasal always assimilates to the place of articulation of the following consonant. It is bilabial [m] before /p, b, m/, labiodental [ɱ] before /f, v/, dental, alveolar or postalveolar [n] before /t, d, ts, dz, tʃ, dʒ, ʃ, l, r/, and velar [ŋ] before /k, ɡ/. Utterance-finally, it is always [n].
↑ Non-geminate /r/ is generally realised with a single strike, as a monovibrant trill or tap [ɾ], particularly in unstressed syllables.
↑ ^7.0 ^7.1 /s/ and /z/ contrast only intervocalically. Word-initially, after consonants, when geminated, and before voiceless consonants, only [s] is found. Before voiced consonants, only [z] is found.
↑ /h/ is usually dropped.
↑ /θ/ is usually pronounced as [t] in English loanwords, and [[[Error using {{IPAsym}}: IPA symbol "d̪͡z̪" not found in list|dz]]], [[[Error using {{IPAsym}}: IPA symbol "t̪͡s̪" not found in list|ts]]] (if spelled ⟨z⟩) or [[[Error using {{IPAsym}}: IPA symbol "s̪" not found in list|s]]] (if spelled ⟨c⟩ or ⟨z⟩) in Spanish ones.
↑ In Spanish loanwords, /x/ is usually pronounced as [h] or [k] or dropped. In German, Arabic and Russian ones, it is usually pronounced [k].
↑ Italian contrasts seven monophthongs in stressed syllables. Open-mid vowels /ɛ, ɔ/ can appear only if the syllable is stressed (coperto [koˈpɛrto], quota [ˈkwɔːta]), close-mid vowels /e, o/ are found elsewhere (Boccaccio [bokˈkattʃo], amore [aˈmoːre]). Close and open vowels /i, u, a/ are unchanged in unstressed syllables, but word-final unstressed /i/ may become approximant [j] before vowels, which is known as synalepha (pari età [ˌparj eˈta]).
↑ Open-mid [œ] or close-mid [ø] if it is stressed but usually [ø] if it is unstressed. May be replaced by [ɛ] (stressed) or [e] (stressed or unstressed).
↑ /y/ is often pronounced as [u] or [Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.].
↑ Since Italian has no distinction between heavier or lighter vowels (like the English o in conclusion vs o in nomination), a defined secondary stress, even in long words, is extremely rare.
↑ Primarily stressed vowels are long in non-final open syllables: fato [ˈfaːto], fatto [ˈfatto].

Other websites

Dizionario italiano multimediale e multilingue d'ortografia e di pronunzia (not based on IPA) (in Italian)
Dizionario di pronuncia italiana online by Luciano Canepari (based on IPA) (in Italian)

[1] Except /z/, all consonants after a vowel and before /r/, /l/, a vowel or a semivowel may be geminated. Gemination in IPA is represented by doubling the consonant (fatto [ˈfatto], mezzo [ˈmɛddzo]), and can usually be told from orthography. After stressed vowels and certain prepositions and conjunctions, word-initial consonants become geminated too (syntactic gemination): va via [ˌva vˈviːa].

[z-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ⟨z⟩ represents both /ts/ and /dz/. The article on Italian orthography explains how they are used.

[geminated-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 ^3.4 /ts, dz, ʃ, ɲ, ʎ/ are always geminated after a vowel.

[gli-4] 4.0 ^4.1 ⟨gli⟩ represents /ʎ/ or /ʎi/, except in roots of Greek origin, when preceded by another consonant, and in a few other words, where it represents /ɡli/.

[nasal-5] 5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 ^5.3 ^5.4 A nasal always assimilates to the place of articulation of the following consonant. It is bilabial [m] before /p, b, m/, labiodental [ɱ] before /f, v/, dental, alveolar or postalveolar [n] before /t, d, ts, dz, tʃ, dʒ, ʃ, l, r/, and velar [ŋ] before /k, ɡ/. Utterance-finally, it is always [n].

[6] Non-geminate /r/ is generally realised with a single strike, as a monovibrant trill or tap [ɾ], particularly in unstressed syllables.

[s-z-7] 7.0 ^7.1 /s/ and /z/ contrast only intervocalically. Word-initially, after consonants, when geminated, and before voiceless consonants, only [s] is found. Before voiced consonants, only [z] is found.

[8] /h/ is usually dropped.

[9] /θ/ is usually pronounced as [t] in English loanwords, and [[[Error using {{IPAsym}}: IPA symbol "d̪͡z̪" not found in list|dz]]], [[[Error using {{IPAsym}}: IPA symbol "t̪͡s̪" not found in list|ts]]] (if spelled ⟨z⟩) or [[[Error using {{IPAsym}}: IPA symbol "s̪" not found in list|s]]] (if spelled ⟨c⟩ or ⟨z⟩) in Spanish ones.

[10] In Spanish loanwords, /x/ is usually pronounced as [h] or [k] or dropped. In German, Arabic and Russian ones, it is usually pronounced [k].

[11] Italian contrasts seven monophthongs in stressed syllables. Open-mid vowels /ɛ, ɔ/ can appear only if the syllable is stressed (coperto [koˈpɛrto], quota [ˈkwɔːta]), close-mid vowels /e, o/ are found elsewhere (Boccaccio [bokˈkattʃo], amore [aˈmoːre]). Close and open vowels /i, u, a/ are unchanged in unstressed syllables, but word-final unstressed /i/ may become approximant [j] before vowels, which is known as synalepha (pari età [ˌparj eˈta]).

[12] Open-mid [œ] or close-mid [ø] if it is stressed but usually [ø] if it is unstressed. May be replaced by [ɛ] (stressed) or [e] (stressed or unstressed).

[13] /y/ is often pronounced as [u] or [Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:IPA symbol/data' not found.].

[14] Since Italian has no distinction between heavier or lighter vowels (like the English o in conclusion vs o in nomination), a defined secondary stress, even in long words, is extremely rare.

[15] Primarily stressed vowels are long in non-final open syllables: fato [ˈfaːto], fatto [ˈfatto].

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

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