The Italian alphabet looks familiar if you know English, but it is not used in exactly the same way. The traditional Italian alphabet has 21 letters, and five extra letters appear mostly in names, brands, technology, and borrowed words. Learning this difference helps you read and spell Italian words more confidently.
The 21 Italian Letters
These are the letters of the traditional Italian alphabet. After the dash, you will see the Italian name of the letter and a word where it appears.
- – A, as in amore.
- – Bi, as in bambino.
- – Ci, as in casa or ciao.
- – Di, as in due.
- – E, as in estate.
- – Effe, as in fiore.
- – Gi, as in gatto or gelato.
- – Acca, as in ho; it is usually silent.
- – I, as in isola.
- – Elle, as in luna.
- – Emme, as in mano.
- – Enne, as in notte.
- – O, as in ora.
- – Pi, as in pane.
- – Cu, as in quando.
- – Erre, as in Roma.
- – Esse, as in sole.
- – Ti, as in tavolo.
- – U, as in uno.
- – Vu, as in vino.
- – Zeta, as in zero or pizza.
Examples:
- Roma inizia con R. (Rome starts with R.)
- Casa inizia con C. (Casa starts with C.)
Foreign Letters You Will Still See
The letters J, K, W, X, and Y are not part of the traditional Italian alphabet. You will still see them in names, surnames, brands, and international words.
- – I lunga, as in jeans.
- – Kappa, as in kayak.
- – Doppia vu, as in web.
- – Ics, as in taxi.
- – Ipsilon, as in yogurt.
Examples:
- Taxi contiene la X. (Taxi contains X.)
- Web inizia con W. (Web starts with W.)
Italian Vowels
Italian vowels are A, E, I, O, and U. For English speakers, the useful point is that Italian vowels are usually clearer and more stable than English vowels.
- – Like the a in casa.
- – Like the e in estate.
- – Like the i in vino.
- – Like the o in Roma.
- – Like the u in luna.
How to Spell in Italian
To ask how a word is written, Italian often uses scrivere, meaning to write. In practice, it can cover spelling something letter by letter.
- Come si scrive? – How is it written?
- Puoi fare lo spelling? – Can you spell it?
- Inizia con... – It starts with...
- Finisce con... – It ends with...
- Doppia L – Double L
- Maiuscola – Capital letter
- Minuscola – Lowercase letter
Examples:
- Come si scrive Luca? L-U-C-A. (How do you spell Luca? L-U-C-A.)
- È doppia L, non una L. (It is double L, not one L.)
Common Mistakes
Counting J, K, W, X, and Y as regular Italian letters
You will see these letters in modern Italian, but they are not part of the traditional 21-letter alphabet. They usually appear in names, brands, or borrowed words.
Forgetting that C and G change before some vowels
The letters C and G can sound different depending on the vowel that follows. Compare casa with ciao, or gatto with gelato. That is why examples are more helpful than isolated letters.
Pronouncing H like a strong English h
The H is called acca. In words like ho and hai, it is written but normally silent. It matters for spelling even when you do not hear it.
Practice with real words: Roma, casa, ciao, gatto, gelato, Luca, taxi, and web. If you can recognize their letters and say the letter names, you already have a useful base for beginner Italian conversations.