Italian 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
You pronounce CHE and CHI respectively as “keh” and “key”.
Examples:
Barche, oche, cachi, chino | Boats, geese, kakis, crouched down |

How to pronounce GHE/GHI
You pronounce GHE and GHI respectively as “geh” and “gee”.
Examples:
Ghepardo, alghe, ghiro, maghi | Cheetah, algae, dormouse, wizards |
Other Italian words with the H sound
Preghiera | Prayer | |
Spaghetto | Spaghetto | |
Chilometro | Kilometer | |
Pacchetto | Small parcel | |
Hotel | Hotel | |
Hamburger | Hamburger |

Your turn!
Pronounce each given word.
More free Italian resources
You might want to keep learning Italian online with these free Italian resources:
❤️ If you liked this lesson on how to pronounce H in Italian, share it with your friends!