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The Italian alphabet consists of 21 letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, Z. The letters J, K, W, X, and Y are not part of the native alphabet but appear in foreign words or borrowed terms like "jeans" or "taxi."

Italian pronunciation is straightforward and phonetic, meaning most words are pronounced as they are spelled.

Vowel Pronunciation

• A is pronounced as "ah" (like in "father").
• E can sound like "eh" (as in "let") or "ay" (as in "say").
• I is pronounced like "ee" (as in "see").
• O can sound like "oh" (as in "bore") or "aw" (as in "off").
• U is pronounced as "oo" (like in "moon").

Consonant Pronunciation

• C is pronounced as "k" when followed by a, o, or u (e.g., casa). Before e or i, it softens to "ch" as in cielo (sky).
• G follows a similar pattern: it's hard as in "go" before a, o, or u (e.g., gatto), but softens to "j" (like "jump") before e or i (e.g., giraffa).
• H is silent in Italian, used mainly to change the pronunciation of C and G (e.g., chi is pronounced "kee").
• R is rolled or trilled, a distinctive feature of Italian pronunciation.
• S can sound like "s" in "sun" or like "z" in "rose," depending on its position in the word.
• Z is pronounced as "ts" (like in pizza) or "dz" (like in zebra).

Double Consonants

In Italian, double consonants are pronounced with extra emphasis. For example, palla (ball) is pronounced with a stronger "l" than pala (shovel). Paying attention to these distinctions is crucial for clear communication.