In Italian, all consonants except h can be doubled. Double consonants (i consonanti doppie) are pronounced much more forcefully than single consonants. With double f, l, m, n, r, s, and v, the sound is prolonged; with double b, c, d, g, p, and t, the stop is stronger than for the single consonant. Double z is pronounced almost the same as single z. Double s is always unvoiced.
Double consonant examples:
Italian English
babbo dad
fetta slice
evviva hurrah
bistecca beefsteak
mamma mama
albicocca apricot
bello beautiful
filetto filet
anno year
assai a lot
basso short
ragazzo boy
ferro iron
pennello paint brush
espresso espresso coffee
tavolozza palette
spaghetti spaghetti
cavalletto easel
Most Italian words end in a vowel.
Diphthongs (i dittonghi) are two vowels fused to emit a single sound. A diphthong is formed when an unstressed i or u combines with another vowel (a, e, o) or when the two vowels combine with each other, in which case either the i or u may remain unstressed. In diphthongs, unstressed i and u become semivowels approximating in sound the English consonants y and w, respectively.
Diphthong examples:
Italian English
ieri yesterday
buono good
fiore flower
chiuso closed
invidia envy
più more
Tripthongs also exist. These are sequences of three vowels with a single sound, usually a diphthong followed by an unstressed i.
Italian English
tuoi yours
miei mine
buoi oxen
pigliai I took
Italian has numerous words that contain sequences of vowels. The following words are not triphthongs (which are infrequent), but sequences of a vowel and a diphthong.
Italian English
noia boredom
febbraio February
baia bay
fioraio florist
Each of the words below has a sequence of two diphthongs:
Italian English
ghiaia gravel
muoio I die
acquaio sink
gioiello jewel