How many letters does the Italian alphabet have?

Twenty-one native letters. J, k, w, x and y are called foreign letters and are used in loanwords and names, so a full keyboard has all twenty-six. Accented vowels are not separate letters – in a dictionary à is filed with a – but the accent is part of the spelling, and leaving one out is a mistake that can change the word.

What is the difference between è and é?

Both mark a stressed e. The grave è is an open e, as in è (is) and caffè; the acute é is a closed e, as in perché, poiché and né. Words ending in -ché (perché, poiché), and né and sé, take the acute; è, caffè, tè and cioè take the grave.

Which Italian does the course teach?

Standard Italian, as it is spoken and written across Italy: a neutral pronunciation, the everyday vocabulary, tu between friends and Lei as the polite form.

The Italian alphabet: 21 letters and their accents

Twenty-one letters, five borrowed ones, a handful of accents – and the double consonants that make Italian sound like Italian.

Italian is written with twenty-one letters: the English alphabet without j, k, w, x and y. Those five are not part of the native alphabet, but they appear in loanwords and names (jeans, karaoke, web, taxi, yogurt). The accents are few and regular: a grave accent (à è ì ò ù) or, on a closed e, an acute (é) marks a stressed vowel at the end of a word – città, caffè, perché, così, però, più – and a few one-syllable words carry one to tell them apart: è (is) and e (and), là (there) and la (the), sì (yes) and si (oneself), dà (gives) and da (from). The accent is spelling: leaving it out writes a different word.

Spelling follows the sound closely, with a few rules to learn. c and g are hard before a, o and u (casa, gatto) and are said ch and j before e and i (cena, gelato); an h after them keeps them hard (chi, ghiaccio), and an i before a, o or u softens them without being heard itself (ciao, giorno). gli is a single sound close to the lli of million (figlio), gn is the ny of canyon (gnocchi, bagno), and sc before e or i is English sh (pesce, scienza). h on its own is always silent (ho, hai), and z is said ts or dz (pizza, zero). Double consonants are held longer, and they change the word: pala and palla, caro and carro, nono and nonno, sete and sette.

Handwriting follows the same stroke order as English; the accents are the only new movements. Tap a letter below to see it written and to trace it. The A0 level of the course covers the alphabet, the accents and the double consonants with audio, for free; A1 opens with greetings and the first verbs.

The chart

Tap a character to watch it being written and to trace it yourself.

Letters

Accents and ligatures

Learn the accents in pairs that change meaning: è/e, là/la, sì/si, dà/da. On a final vowel the accent also tells you where the stress falls: città, caffè, perché.
Practise the double consonants on pairs: pala/palla, caro/carro, nono/nonno, sete/sette. Hold the doubled sound a moment longer, as in the middle of bookcase.
Read c and g aloud by the vowel that follows: casa, cena, chi, ciao; gatto, gelato, ghiaccio, giorno. Once the rule is automatic, you can read any Italian word aloud.

The lessons that teach it

The A0 level of the course, free: the letters, their sounds and the first words, with the same stroke animations and tracing exercises.

The Italian Alphabet

Twenty-one letters, five guests from abroad, and the accents that change a word.

Sounds and First Words

Ciao, chiave, gelato, figlio, pesce – c and g that change, gli, gn, sc and the double consonants.

The whole course: Learn Italian together

Questions

How many letters does the Italian alphabet have?: Twenty-one native letters. J, k, w, x and y are called foreign letters and are used in loanwords and names, so a full keyboard has all twenty-six. Accented vowels are not separate letters – in a dictionary à is filed with a – but the accent is part of the spelling, and leaving one out is a mistake that can change the word.
What is the difference between è and é?: Both mark a stressed e. The grave è is an open e, as in è (is) and caffè; the acute é is a closed e, as in perché, poiché and né. Words ending in -ché (perché, poiché), and né and sé, take the acute; è, caffè, tè and cioè take the grave.
Which Italian does the course teach?: Standard Italian, as it is spoken and written across Italy: a neutral pronunciation, the everyday vocabulary, tu between friends and Lei as the polite form.