Hard English words for Italian speakers

If your native language is Italian and you want to learn English, there are a few key words you might mispronounce. Let's explore these common mistakes and practice saying them properly.

Words starting with TH

Italian speakers sometimes struggle with the TH sound in words like this or theory. To pronounce the TH sound, put the tip of your tongue lightly between your teeth and blow out air.

• Theory — theer ee

• Thought — thawt

• Thankful — thaynk fuhl

Words ending with consonants

Italian words often end with vowel sounds, but English is different. Most English words end with consonant sounds. Even if a word ends with a vowel, it's often silent. This can be confusing if you're learning English. For example, you might say run-uh or desk-uh — adding an uh sound at the end. To sound more natural, practice ending with consonant sounds. 

• Walk — waak

• Famous — fay muhs

• Book — buk

• Silent — si lint 

• Thought — thawt

Words ending with -ain

In English, words ending with -ain sometimes sound like in. Other times they sound like n, like the beginning of the word no. Here are some examples.

• Mountain — mown tin

• Fountain — fown tin

• Villain — vil in

• Curtain — kert n

• Certain — sert n

English is weird

English has strange pronunciation rules. And often, we break the rules! 

Don't worry if you're confused. You don't have to memorize all these pronunciation rules to learn English. Instead, you can learn them naturally through Comprehensible Input. 

To practice your pronunciation skills, watch English content with English subtitles. This will let you read the words and hear the correct pronunciation at the same time.