If you are learning Italian or any other language it is important to have a good grasp of the pronunciation. In the context of the Italian language, not many will agree that pronunciation matters here, but a few will answer it depends.

When one talks about proper Italian pronunciation one is usually referring to the standard method a word is said. Actually, native Italian speakers pronounce words in several ways and this is how you will identify the accent. For instance, the Venetian accent has nasal words, the Lombard accent has plenty of “e” sounds, and so on.

But, still, it is always good to know if you at least know the right pronunciation.

Let’s begin with a small introduction. The Italian alphabet has five written vowels (a, e, i, o, u). But phonetically speaking, there are actually, seven, because E and O can both be pronounced open or closed. Visually, open pronunciation is represented using a grave accent (è, ò); and closed pronunciation uses an acute accent (é, ó).

Right pronunciation for E and O

• When the stress falls upon the E or O and it is not the last syllable, the letter is mostly pronounced closed: so it’s méla not mèla, móndo not mòndo
• For the truncated words (i.e., words having stress on the final syllable) that finish in E, the vowel is almost every time pronounced closed: tré, the pronouns mé, té, sé, and any derivations of che (perché, affinché, etc.). Again, there are always exceptions to the rule: caffè, tè (as in the drink), karkadè, bèh, and usually, all exclamations.
• The E in the diphthong IE is almost every time pronounced open: so mièle not miéle. There is an exception for words ending in -ietto, -ietta, or -iezza 
• For present participles, the E is every time open: presidènte, gerènte etc.

And one can tell if the E or O must be pronounced open or closed depending on the suffix.

• If the word finishes in -ela, -elo,  -ene, -ente,  -ero, -errimo, -esimo, one uses an open E.
• If the word finishes in -ecchio, -eccio, -esco, -esimo, -essa, -eto, one uses a closed E.
• If the word ending in -occhio, -occio, -orio, -osi, -ota, or -ozzo, one uses an open O.
• If the word ending in -oio, -one, -oni, -ore, or -oso, one uses a closed O.

The right pronunciation of S and Z

The two consonants can be pronounced in two separate ways: the lip movement is the same, but they become unvoiced if you do not engage your larynx, or voiced if you do engage the larynx. For instance, the S in rosso and the Z in pazzo are unvoiced, whereas the S in sbagliare and the Z in mezzo are voiced. But how would you know if an S is voiced or not? While there are specific rules you can follow, there are also several exceptions to bear in mind.

• If S is followed by a voiced consonant (b, d, f, g, l, m, n, r, v), it’s also voiced. And vice-versa: if this is followed by an unvoiced consonant (c, f, p, q, t), it is unvoiced too.
• If S comes between two vowels, it’s normally voiced, but, again, there are some exceptions: for instance, adjectives ending with–oso and -ese have an unvoiced “s”, even though the voiced version is quite common, particularly in northern Italy.
• A double S is every time unvoiced.
• An S at the beginning of a word, if followed by a vowel, is every time unvoiced.
• An S preceded by a consonant is every time unvoiced.
• A Z between two vowels is also generally, voiced.
• Words finsishing in -zione, -anza, –orzo, –erzo, or –onzolo contains an unvoiced Z.
• A double Z is normally unvoiced, but there are a few exceptions, like azzurra and azzardo, which have a voiced Z.
• Verbs ending with –izzare contains a voiced Z. While verbs finishing in –azzare contains an unvoiced Z.
• If a Z is succeeded by an I that makes part of a diphthong (and so is pronounced long), as with the words polizia, pazzia, it is unvoiced. The word zio is one of the most randomly mispronounced (i.e., voiced) words, specifically, in the north.

A few examples of the common Italian Pronunciation Errors

Lastly, when looking for proper pronunciation, you must bear in mind that certain mistakes are so common that they are barely considered as errors anymore.

• amàca — the stress needs to be on the second A (you do not say àmaca).
• pudìco — the stress needs to be on the I (you do not say pùdico).
• utensìle— when this is a noun, the stress needs to be on the I; when this is an adjective, it falls on the E.

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