Italian Alphabet | Alfabeto Italiano
The Italian alphabet consists of 21 letters using the Latin script, with 5 additional letters used for foreign words.
A a
A
a
B b
Bi
b
C c
Ci
k/ch
D d
Di
d
E e
E
e
F f
Effe
f
G g
Gi
g/j
H h
Acca
silent
I i
I
i
L l
Elle
l
M m
Emme
m
N n
Enne
n
O o
O
o
P p
Pi
p
Q q
Cu
k
R r
Erre
r
S s
Esse
s/z
T t
Ti
t
U u
U
u
V v
Vi/Vu
v
Z z
Zeta
ts/dz
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About the Italian Alphabet
The Italian alphabet consists of 21 letters from the Latin script. Five additional letters (J, K, W, X, Y) are used only in foreign words and loanwords. Italian uses accent marks on vowels to indicate stress and pronunciation. The alphabet is highly phonetic, making Italian spelling relatively straightforward.
History
The Italian alphabet evolved from the Latin alphabet used in ancient Rome. The modern Italian alphabet was standardized during the Renaissance period. The 21-letter alphabet became official, with J, K, W, X, and Y excluded from native Italian words. The alphabet has remained stable since the 16th century.
Key Features
- Written from left to right
- 21 letters in native alphabet
- Highly phonetic spelling
- Accent marks indicate stress
- Based on Latin alphabet
- Five letters for foreign words