The Italian Alphabet

The Italian alphabet, known as l'alfabeto italiano, is the foundation of everything you will learn in this language. It contains 21 letters — five fewer than the English alphabet. The letters J, K, W, X, and Y are not part of the traditional Italian alphabet, though they appear in borrowed words.

Overview

Italian is a phonetic language, which means that words are almost always pronounced exactly as they are spelled. Once you learn the sounds of the alphabet, you will be able to read and pronounce virtually any Italian word you encounter. This is a significant advantage over English, where spelling and pronunciation frequently diverge.

Tip: Because Italian is so phonetic, mastering the alphabet is one of the most valuable investments you can make as a beginner. Time spent here will pay off in every future lesson.

The 21 Standard Letters

Below is the complete Italian alphabet with the name of each letter and an approximate guide to its pronunciation.

Letter	Italian Name	Approximate Pronunciation
A	a	"ah" as in "father"
B	bi	"bee" — like English "b"
C	ci	"chee" — sounds like "ch" before e/i, like "k" before a/o/u
D	di	"dee" — like English "d"
E	e	"eh" — has two sounds: open and closed
F	effe	"EF-feh" — like English "f"
G	gi	"jee" — sounds like "j" before e/i, like "g" in "go" before a/o/u
H	acca	"AHK-kah" — always silent in Italian
I	i	"ee" as in "see"
L	elle	"EL-leh" — like English "l"
M	emme	"EM-meh" — like English "m"
N	enne	"EN-neh" — like English "n"
O	o	"oh" — has two sounds: open and closed
P	pi	"pee" — like English "p"
Q	cu	"koo" — always followed by "u"
R	erre	"ER-reh" — rolled/trilled
S	esse	"ES-seh" — can be voiced or unvoiced
T	ti	"tee" — dental, like English "t"
U	u	"oo" as in "food"
V	vu (or vi)	"voo" — like English "v"
Z	zeta	"DZEH-tah" — can be voiced or unvoiced

The Five Foreign Letters

The following five letters are not part of the traditional Italian alphabet but appear in words borrowed from other languages (particularly English, French, and German).

Letter	Italian Name	Used In
J	i lunga	jeans, jazz, jolly
K	kappa	kayak, kiwi, karate
W	doppia vu	web, weekend, whisky
X	ics	taxi, xilofono, extra
Y	ipsilon (or i greca)	yogurt, yoga, yacht

Cultural Note: Italians commonly use these foreign letters in everyday life due to the influence of English. However, when spelling out words in Italian, these letters are identified by their Italian names. For instance, a "W" is called doppia vu (double v).

Italian vs English Alphabets

Feature	Italian	English
Number of standard letters	21	26
Foreign letters used	5 (j, k, w, x, y)	None
Phonetic consistency	Very high	Low
Silent letters	Only h	Many (k in "knight", b in "lamb", etc.)
Vowel sounds	7 (open/closed e and o)	~15 or more

The most important difference is predictability. In Italian, each letter combination almost always makes the same sound regardless of context. In English, the letter "a" alone can sound different in "cat," "cake," "car," and "about." Italian rarely has this problem.

Double Consonants (Consonanti Doppie)

One of the most distinctive features of Italian is the use of double consonants. Unlike English, where doubled letters often make no difference to pronunciation (e.g., "butter" vs "but"), in Italian, every doubled consonant must be pronounced longer and more forcefully.

Single	Meaning	Double	Meaning
casa	house	cassa	crate/case
pala	shovel	palla	ball
caro	dear	carro	cart
nono	ninth	nonno	grandfather
pena	pain/pity	penna	pen
sete	thirst	sette	seven

Tip: Double consonants change the meaning of words in Italian. Mispronouncing them can lead to confusion or embarrassment. Always hold the consonant sound slightly longer when you see a doubled letter.

How to Practise

Say the alphabet out loud — Recite a, bi, ci, di, e, effe, gi, acca, i, elle, emme, enne, o, pi, cu, erre, esse, ti, u, vu, zeta every day until it feels natural.
Spell your name — Practise spelling your own name using the Italian letter names.
Listen to native speakers — Search for "alfabeto italiano" online to hear the rhythm and pronunciation from native speakers.
Write out the letters — Copy the full alphabet by hand at least once to reinforce your memory.
Practise double consonants — Read pairs like pala/palla, nono/nonno, caro/carro aloud, exaggerating the difference.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Including j, k, w, x, y — Remember these are not part of the standard Italian alphabet. They only appear in foreign loan words.
Pronouncing h — The letter h is always silent in Italian. Ho (I have) is pronounced "oh," not "hoh."
Ignoring double consonants — In English, double letters often do not affect pronunciation. In Italian, they always do. Penna (pen) and pena (pain) are different words.
Using English vowel sounds — Italian vowels are pure and consistent. Resist the temptation to use English vowel sounds, which tend to glide.
Forgetting that c and g change sounds — Before e/i, these letters have "soft" sounds (like "ch" and "j"). Before a/o/u, they have "hard" sounds (like "k" and "g" in "go").

Summary

The Italian alphabet has 21 standard letters, with 5 additional foreign letters (j, k, w, x, y) used in borrowed words. Italian is highly phonetic, so learning these letters and their sounds will allow you to pronounce virtually any word correctly. Double consonants are a critical feature that distinguishes meaning. The letters c and g change their pronunciation depending on the following vowel. Mastering this alphabet is the essential first step in learning Italian pronunciation.