How to pronounce H in Italian
H is a consonant.
H is always silent. You never hear it. This also applies to foreign words.
H
H sound
Io ho, tu hai, lui ha.
I have, you have, he has.
However, H is used together with C and G to produce CHE/CHI and GHE/GHI sounds.
How to pronounce CHE/CHI in Italian
You pronounce CHE and CHI respectively as “keh” and “key”.
Examples:
Barche, oche, cachi, chino
(/ˈbarke/, /ˈɔke/, /ˈkaki/, /ˈkino/)
Boats, geese, kakis, crouched down
How to pronounce GHE/GHI in Italian
You pronounce GHE and GHI respectively as “geh” and “gee”.
Examples:
Ghepardo, alghe, ghiro, maghi
(/geˈpardo/, /ˈalge/, /ˈgiro/, /ˈmagi/)
Cheetah, algae, dormouse, wizards
Other Italian words with the H sound
Preghiera
(/preˈgjɛra/)
Prayer
Spaghetto
(/spaˈgetto/)
Spaghetto
Chilometro
(/kiˈlɔmetro/)
Kilometer
Pacchetto
(/pakˈketto/)
Small parcel
Hotel
(/oˈtɛl/)
Hotel
Hamburger
(/amˈburger/)
Hamburger
Your turn!
Pronounce each given word.
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