English pronunciation · Words Starting with I

Italy Pronunciation

Italy is pronounced I-tuh-lee, IPA /ˈɪtəli/.

I-tuh-lee

US /ˈɪtəli/

Syllables: I · tuh · lee (3 syllables, stress on syllable 1)

proper noun: A country in southern Europe shaped like a boot, with Rome as its capital.

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Italy in a Sentence

  • They spent August in northern Italy.
  • Italy has more world heritage sites than any other country.
  • The train from Italy arrives at Zurich just after six.

Common Mispronunciations of Italy

Not ee-TA-lee

The beat is on the first syllable and the vowel is the short i of sit. Speakers of Romance languages often carry over the Italian stress pattern, where Italia leans on the third syllable.

Not eye-TUH-lee

The opening i is short. A long one belongs to Italian, not to the name of the country in English.

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