C and G Italian Pronunciation: Hard, Soft, CH, GH and the Silent i
A0 · Pronunciation · C and G
Four little rules, one system, and you will never order “spa-JET-tee” again.
Quick answer
C and G Italian pronunciation in one rule: C and G are hard (K, G as in “get”) before a, o, u: casa, gatto. They are soft (CH as in “chair”, J as in “jam”) before e, i: cena, gelato. Add an H to keep them hard before e, i (chiesa, spaghetti). Add a silent i to make them soft before a, o, u (ciao, giorno).
C and G + a, o, u = hard
Start with the easy part: this is exactly like English “cat”, “cool”, “go”, “gum”.
Rule 3
C + a, o, u = K, as in “kite”
G + a, o, u = G, as in “get”
casa
KAH-sah
house
cuore
KWOH-reh
heart
gatto
GAHT-toh
cat
gusto
GOOS-toh
taste, flavor
C and G + e, i = soft
Here is the change. Before e and i, C and G become soft.
Rule 4
C + e, i = CH, as in “chair”
G + e, i = J, as in “jam”
cena
CHEH-nah
dinner
cinema
CHEE-neh-mah
movie theater
cinque
CHEEN-kweh
five
gelato
jeh-LAH-toh
ice cream
gente
JEHN-teh
people
giraffa
jee-RAHF-fah
giraffe
💡 In simple words
a, o, u → hard. e, i → soft.
Always look at the letter after the C or G. That letter decides.
CH and GH: the H is a little wall
What if Italian needs a hard K or G sound before e or i? It puts an H in the middle. The H is silent: it is a little wall that keeps the C and G hard.
Rule 5
CH + e, i = K: che KEH · chi KEE · chiesa KYEH-zah · Pinocchio pee-NOHK-kyoh
GH + e, i = G as in “get”: spaghetti spah-GET-tee · funghi FOON-gee · ghiro GEE-roh (dormouse)
Careful, English speakers: in Italian CH is never the sound of “chair”. It is always K.
Take the H away and the sound is soft again: cena, gelato.
CIA, CIO, CIU, GIA, GIO, GIU: the silent i
Now the opposite problem: Italian wants a soft CH or J sound before a, o, u. It adds an i. You don’t pronounce this i: it only makes the C or G soft.
Rule 6
CI + a, o, u = CH, the i is silent: ciao CHOW · cioccolato chohk-koh-LAH-toh · ciabatta chah-BAHT-tah
GI + a, o, u = J, the i is silent: giorno JOR-noh · giallo JAHL-loh · Giulia JOO-lyah
gallo ≠ giallo
gallo (GAHL-loh) · rooster, hard G
giallo (JAHL-loh) · yellow, soft G
gusto ≠ giusto
gusto (GOOS-toh) · taste, flavor
giusto (JOOS-toh) · right, correct
When the i is not followed by a, o, u, you say it: cinema (CHEE-neh-mah), giraffa (jee-RAHF-fah).
C and G Italian pronunciation in one grid
Four rules, one system. Read across, out loud: hard, soft, hard, soft.
c / g + a, o, u
hard · rule 3
c / g + e, i
soft · rule 4
ch / gh + e, i
hard · rule 5
ci / gi + a, o, u
soft · rule 6
casa
KAH-sah
cena
CHEH-nah
chiesa
KYEH-zah
ciao
CHOW
gatto
GAHT-toh
gelato
jeh-LAH-toh
ghiro
GEE-roh
giallo
JAHL-loh
💡 In simple words
Want hard before e, i? Add H.
Want soft before a, o, u? Add i (and don’t say it).
In real life: at the gelateria
Gino
gelato maker
Ciao! Che gusti?
Hi! Which flavors? (CHOW · KEH GOOS-tee)
you
Cioccolato e pistacchio!
Chocolate and pistachio! (chohk-koh-LAH-toh · pees-TAHK-kyoh)
Gino
gelato maker
Cono o coppetta?
Cone or cup? (KOH-noh · kohp-PEHT-tah)
you
Cono, grazie!
Cone, thanks!
Count the rules: ciao, cioccolato (silent i), che, pistacchio (CH = K), gusti, cono, coppetta (hard).
Common mistakes English speakers make
Ordering pasta: spah-JET-tee → spah-GET-tee
GH is always hard, like the G in “get”.
Counting: KEEN-kweh → CHEEN-kweh
C + i is soft: cinque.
Saying hi: chee-AH-oh → CHOW
In CIAO the i is silent: one quick sound.
Ordering wine: chee-AHN-tee → KYAHN-tee
Chianti has CH, so it is a hard K.
Talking about home: CHAH-sah → KAH-sah
C + a is hard: casa.
Famous words, Italian style
🪵 Pinocchio
In Italian it is pee-NOHK-kyoh: CH = K, and a double C held long. Not “pin-OH-kee-oh”.
🍞 Ciabatta
The bread is named after a slipper (ciabatta, chah-BAHT-tah) because of its flat shape. Silent i, double T.
I asked for “KEEN-kweh” gelati. The waiter is still counting.
Step 8 · Practice
🍕 Your turn
Start with a quick warm-up, then press Check. Want more? Open the extra exercises below. Read every word out loud before you answer: your mouth needs the practice more than your eyes. No pressure.
Warm-up · 5 questions
Which sound? Read the word out loud: hard (K, G as in “get”) or soft (CH, J)?
1. casa
2. gelato
3. chiesa
4. giorno
5. spaghetti
See more exercises · 50 questions ▾Hide the extra exercises ▴
1 · Hard or soft?
Look at the bold letters. Hard or soft?
1. cuore (heart)
2. cena (dinner)
3. gusto (flavor)
4. gente (people)
5. che (what)
6. ciao
7. funghi (mushrooms)
8. giallo (yellow)
9. gallo (rooster)
10. cinema
2 · Same or different sound?
Look at the bold letters. Do they make the same sound?
1. casa · chiesa
2. casa · cena
3. ciao · cena
4. gallo · giallo
5. gelato · giorno
6. spaghetti · gatto
7. chi · cinque
8. giraffa · ghiro
3 · Is the i silent?
Look at the bold i. Do you say it?
1. ciao
2. cinema
3. giorno
4. giraffa
5. Giulia
6. cinque
7. cioccolato
8. giallo
4 · Read the word: how does it sound?
Choose the hint that sounds right for an American reader.
1. cena
2. chiesa
3. giorno
4. funghi
5. gelato
6. cioccolato
7. Pinocchio
8. giallo
5 · Which spelling?
You hear the sound. Which spelling is right?
1. KEH (what)
2. CHOW (hi)
3. spah-GET-tee
4. JOR-noh (day)
5. CHEH-nah (dinner)
6. KEE (who)
7. GAHT-toh (cat)
8. JOO-lyah
6 · Write the word from the hint
Read the hint, then type the Italian word. Capital letters don’t matter.
1. KAH-sah (house)
2. CHEH-nah (dinner)
3. KYEH-zah (church)
4. CHOW (hi)
5. GAHT-toh (cat)
6. jeh-LAH-toh (ice cream)
7. FOON-gee (mushrooms)
8. JAHL-loh (yellow)
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Ci vediamo la prossima settimana! – Sì, alla prossima lezione! Ciao!
See you next week! – Yes, see you at the next lesson! Bye!
Written by Luciana
Native Italian teacher, CEDILS certified, 10,000+ lessons since 2020.
