SC Italian Pronunciation: Pesce, Prosciutto, Bruschetta (SH or SK?)
A0 · Pronunciation · SC, SCI, SCH
Fish or peaches? Shoe or school? One letter after SC decides, and now you will know which.
Quick answer
SC Italian pronunciation in one line: SC + e, i sounds SH like in shoe (pesce = PEH-sheh). SC + a, o, u sounds SK like in school (scuola = SKWOH-lah). SCH + e, i is SK too, so bruschetta = broo-SKET-tah, never “broo-SHEHT-tah”.
SC Italian pronunciation, part 1: SCE, SCI = SH
This is Rule 9 of the 10 Italian sound rules.
📌 Rule 9 · SCE, SCI
SC + e, i = SH, like in shoe
No K sound at all. Just a soft, long SH.
pesce
PEH-sheh
fish
scescena
SHEH-nah
scene
scepiscina
pee-SHEE-nah
swimming pool
sciuscita
oo-SHEE-tah
exit (you see it at every station)
sci
SCIA, SCIO, SCIU: the silent i (prosciutto!)
Remember the silent i of ciao? It works here too.
💡 In simple words
The i in scia, scio, sciu is only there to make the SH. You don’t say it.
prosciutto = proh-SHOOT-toh, not “pro-shee-OO-to”.
sciarpa
SHAR-pah
scarf
sciaprosciutto
proh-SHOOT-toh
cured ham
sciulasciare
lah-SHAH-reh
to leave (something)
sciasciopero
SHOH-peh-roh
strike (no trains today!)
scio
Pro… SHOOT… toh. I said it slowly. Upside down. It still counts.
SCA, SCO, SCU = SK, like in school
This is Rule 10, the last one. With a, o, u, the C stays hard (like in casa), so you get SK.
📌 Rule 10 · SCA, SCO, SCU
SC + a, o, u = SK, like in school
scuola
SKWOH-lah
school
scuscusi
SKOO-zee
excuse me (polite)
Survival wordscarpe
SKAR-peh
shoes (yes: shoes = SK!)
scapesca
PEH-skah
peach
scatedesco
teh-DEH-skoh
German
scoascolta
ah-SKOHL-tah
listen!
sco
SCHE, SCHI = SK: how to say bruschetta
The H is a little wall: it keeps the C hard even before e and i. Same trick as CHE and CHI.
📌 Rule 10 · SCHE, SCHI
SCH + e, i = SK
The H is silent, but it changes everything.
bruschetta
broo-SKET-tah
toasted bread with toppings
Classic mistakepesche
PEH-skeh
peaches
schescherzo
SKEHR-tsoh
joke
scheIschia
EE-skyah
island near Naples
schi
Pesce or pesche? Fish or peaches
One H, two different dinners. This is the pair to remember.
🐟 SH · Rule 9
pesce
PEH-sheh · fish
🍑 SK · Rule 10
pesche
PEH-skeh · peaches
🍑 SK · Rule 10
pesca
PEH-skah · one peach
💡 The whole SC family on one card
sce, sci → SH · pesce, piscina
scia, scio, sciu → SH, silent i · sciarpa, prosciutto
sca, sco, scu → SK · scarpe, scuola
sche, schi → SK · pesche, bruschetta
In real life: at the market
you
Scusi! Il pesce, per favore.
Excuse me! The fish, please. · SKOO-zee… PEH-sheh
Rosa
market seller
Il pesce? Qui ho solo pesche!
The fish? Here I only have peaches! · PEH-skeh
you
Ah, scusi! Allora… pesche, grazie!
Oh, sorry! Well then… peaches, thanks!
One sound, one H, one very different shopping bag.
Common mistakes English speakers make
broo-SHEHT-tah → broo-SKET-tah
A very common mix-up, and an easy fix: SCH = SK, always.
pro-SKOO-to → proh-SHOOT-toh
SCI + u = SH, and the i is silent. (Also hold the double T.)
PESS-kay for fish → PEH-sheh
Pesce (fish) has no H, so it’s soft: SH. With SK you just ordered peaches.
SHOO-zee → SKOO-zee
Scusi: SC + u = SK. Like “school”, not “shoe”.
pee-SKEE-na → pee-SHEE-nah
Piscina: SC + i = SH.
Skiing is “SHEE” in Italian
⛷️ Lo sci
Skiing in Italian is lo sci, said SHEE. So if an Italian invites you to sciare (shee-AH-reh), they mean skiing, not something shy.
🍞 Bruschetta, the local way
In Italy, bruschetta is everyone’s favorite word to hear said the Italian way. Say broo-SKET-tah to the waiter and you sound like you have been here before.
I stand up tall every time I hear “broo-SKET-tah”. SCH = SK. Now you know the secret too.
Step 8 · Practice
🍕 Your turn
Read every word out loud first, then choose. SH or SK? Look at the letter after SC. No pressure.
Warm-up · 5 questions
SH (like shoe) or SK (like school)?
1. pesce
2. scuola
3. bruschetta
4. prosciutto
5. pesche
See more exercises · 50 questions ▾Hide the extra exercises ▴
1 · SH or SK?
Say it out loud, then choose.
1. scena
2. scusi
3. piscina
4. scarpe
5. sciarpa
6. scherzo
7. uscita
8. tedesco
9. sciopero
10. Ischia
11. pesca
12. lasciare
2 · Choose the right hint
Which pronunciation is correct?
1. bruschetta
2. prosciutto
3. pesce (fish)
4. scuola
5. sciarpa
6. piscina
7. pesche (peaches)
8. scusi
3 · Fish or peaches?
What did they ask for?
1. “Il pesce, per favore.” (PEH-sheh)
2. “Due pesche, per favore.” (PEH-skeh)
3. “Una pesca, grazie.” (PEH-skah)
4. The word has an H: pe-sc-h-e
5. The word has no H and the sound is SH
4 · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence about SC right or wrong?
1. SC + e or i sounds like SH.
2. In prosciutto you pronounce the i: pro-shee-OO-to.
3. The H in bruschetta makes the sound SK.
4. Scarpe (shoes) starts with SH.
5. Pesce and pesche are two different words.
6. “Lo sci” (skiing) is pronounced SHEE.
7. SC + a, o, u sounds like SH.
5 · Which rule?
Which group does the word belong to?
1. piscina
2. prosciutto
3. bruschetta
4. scuola
5. pesce
6. sciarpa
6 · From sound to spelling
Read the hint and type the Italian word. Watch out for the H!
1. PEH-sheh (fish)
2. PEH-skeh (peaches)
3. broo-SKET-tah
4. SKOO-zee (excuse me)
5. pee-SHEE-nah (pool)
6. SKWOH-lah (school)
7. proh-SHOOT-toh (ham)
8. SKAR-peh (shoes)
9. oo-SHEE-tah (exit)
7 · At the market
Type the Italian. Capital letters and punctuation don’t matter.
1. Excuse me, the fish, please.
2. Two peaches, please.
3. A bruschetta, please.
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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.
