Where is the stress in Italian words?

Most words are stressed on the second-to-last syllable: a-MI-co, ra-GAZ-zo. Many common words are stressed on the third-to-last: MAC-chi-na, te-LE-fo-no. Words stressed on the last syllable carry a written accent: cit-TÀ, per-CHÉ.

Does Italian mark stress in writing?

Only on the final syllable. Every word of more than one syllable stressed on its final vowel carries an accent: caffè, università, parlerò. Inside a word, stress is not marked, except occasionally to separate words such as àncora and ancóra.

How do I know where the stress falls on a new word?

Check a dictionary, which marks the stress of every word. If you have no dictionary, guess the second-to-last syllable, which is right for most words. Adjectives ending in -abile and -evole, and many ending in -ico, are stressed on the third-to-last syllable: pro-BA-bi-le, pia-CE-vo-le, sim-PA-ti-co.

Why is the loro form of verbs stressed so early?

The loro form adds -no to the lui form without moving the stress. Parla is PAR-la, so parlano is PAR-la-no. With verbs already stressed on the third-to-last syllable, such as abitare (A-bi-to), the loro form is stressed on the fourth-to-last: A-bi-ta-no.

Does stress change the meaning of Italian words?

Sometimes. Àncora (anchor) and ancóra (still, again), prìncipi (princes) and princìpi (principles), and papa (pope) and papà (dad) are the best-known examples. In normal texts only papà shows its stress, so context does the rest.

Italian grammar · Beginner

Italian Word Stress

Written by Parrot Italian Team, Italian Curriculum Editors · Reviewed October 2026

Italian word stress is the syllable you say more strongly. Most Italian words are stressed on the second-to-last syllable (a-MI-co), many are stressed on the third-to-last (MAC-chi-na), and a smaller group on the last syllable, which always has a written accent (cit-TÀ). Only that last group is marked in writing, so for the others you learn the stress with the word.

Domani prendo la macchina e vado in città.

Tomorrow I'm taking the car and going into town.

What it is

Italian grammar names words by where the stress falls: parole piane (second-to-last syllable, the most common type), parole sdrucciole (third-to-last), and parole tronche (last syllable). Stress matters more in Italian than in English, because a few words change meaning when the stress moves, and verb forms in the same tense can have stress on different syllables.

a-MI-co (friend), TA-vo-lo (table), cit-TÀ (city). Only città shows its stress in writing.

How to spot it

If the last vowel has an accent mark, stress that syllable. If not, try the second-to-last syllable first: it is right for most words. Common words stressed earlier, such as telefono and macchina, have to be learned one by one.

amico (friend (a-MI-co, second-to-last))
macchina (car (MAC-chi-na, third-to-last))
caffè (coffee (caf-FÈ, last, with accent))
telefono (phone (te-LE-fo-no, third-to-last))

A written accent inside a word is rare. Dictionaries mark stress for every word, so check one when you learn a new word.

Word Stress Quick Reference

Where Italian words are stressed

Stress on	Italian name	Written accent	Examples
Last syllable	parola tronca	always (à, è, é, ì, ò, ù)	città, caffè, perché, università, parlerò
Second-to-last syllable	parola piana	never	amico, casa, Milano, parlare, ragazzo
Third-to-last syllable	parola sdrucciola	never (optional for clarity)	tavolo, macchina, sabato, musica, Napoli
Fourth-to-last syllable	parola bisdrucciola	never	telefonano, abitano, ordinano

Common Word Stress Examples in Italian

Common words grouped by stress:

Second-to-Last (Most Words)

ragazzo: boy (ra-GAZ-zo)
Firenze: Florence (fi-REN-ze)

If you have to guess, guess this pattern. It is right for most Italian words.

Third-to-Last

sabato: Saturday (SA-ba-to)
musica: music (MU-si-ca)
Napoli: Naples (NA-po-li)

Many common words have this pattern, including adjectives in -abile and -evole and many adjectives in -ico: probabile, piacevole, simpatico. Amico is an exception: a-MI-co.

Last Syllable, With an Accent

università: university (u-ni-ver-si-TÀ)
perché: why, because (per-CHÉ)

The accent mark is required on every word of more than one syllable stressed on the final vowel.

Same Letters, Different Stress

ancora / ancora: anchor (AN-co-ra) / still, again (an-CO-ra)
papa / papà: pope (PA-pa) / dad (pa-PÀ)

Papà carries an accent because its stress is final. Ancora has no written accent in either meaning, so context decides.

How Italian Word Stress Works

One default, one written signal, and a few verb patterns you can rely on.

The Default: Second-to-Last Syllable

Most Italian words are stressed on the second-to-last syllable. When a word has no accent mark and you do not know it, this is the best guess.

Domani andiamo al mare.

Tomorrow we're going to the seaside.

do-MA-ni, an-DIA-mo, MA-re.

Third-to-Last: Common but Unmarked

Many everyday words are stressed one syllable earlier, and nothing in the spelling tells you. This is why English speakers often misplace the stress in telefono, macchina, and camera.

Il sabato prendo la macchina.

On Saturdays I take the car.

SA-ba-to, MAC-chi-na.

Final Stress Is Always Written

If the stress falls on the last vowel of a word with more than one syllable, Italian writes an accent on it: città, caffè, perché, però, virtù. This is the one case where the spelling shows the stress.

In città il caffè costa di più.

In the city, coffee costs more.

cit-TÀ, caf-FÈ.

Verbs: Loro Forms Keep the Stem Stress

In the present tense, the io, tu, lui, and loro forms are stressed on the stem, and the loro form adds a syllable at the end without moving the stress. So abito becomes abitano, stressed on the same A. The noi and voi forms move the stress to the ending.

I miei amici abitano a Roma.

My friends live in Rome.

A-bi-to, A-bi-ta-no, a-bi-TIA-mo.

Infinitives in -ere Have Two Patterns

Infinitives in -are and -ire are always stressed on the ending: par-LA-re, dor-MI-re. Infinitives in -ere can be stressed on the ending (ve-DE-re, a-VE-re) or on the stem (PREN-de-re, LEG-ge-re, SCRI-ve-re). You have to learn which.

Voglio vedere il film e leggere il libro.

I want to see the film and read the book.

ve-DE-re, LEG-ge-re.

Future and Passato Remoto: Final Stress

Some verb forms are stressed on the last syllable and so carry an accent: the io and lui forms of the future (parlerò, parlerà) and the lui form of the passato remoto (parlò, finì).

Domani partirò presto.

I'll leave early tomorrow.

par-ti-RÒ.

Common Mistakes with Word Stress

Incorrect: telefono (said te-le-FO-no) (phone)

Correct: telefono (said te-LE-fo-no) (phone)

Telefono is stressed on the third-to-last syllable. English telephone puts the main stress at the start, and learners then guess the Italian default instead.

Incorrect: parlano (said par-LA-no) (they speak)

Correct: parlano (said PAR-la-no) (they speak)

The loro form keeps the stress of the io form: PAR-lo, PAR-la-no. The extra syllable at the end does not move it.

Incorrect: Abito in citta. (I live in the city.)

Correct: Abito in città. (I live in the city.)

A word stressed on its final vowel must carry an accent. Without it, a reader would stress CIT-ta.

Incorrect: prendere (said pren-DE-re) (to take)

Correct: prendere (said PREN-de-re) (to take)

Some -ere verbs are stressed on the stem. Prendere, leggere, scrivere, and vivere all follow this pattern, unlike vedere and avere.

Words That Change Meaning With Stress

These words are spelled the same, or almost the same, and the stress alone tells you which word it is.

Pairs that differ only in stress

In these pairs, the letters are identical and the meaning depends on the stressed syllable. Dictionaries and some careful texts mark the stress (àncora, ancóra) to avoid confusion.

ancora: AN-co-ra: anchor; an-CO-ra: still, again
principi: PRIN-ci-pi: princes; prin-CI-pi: principles
subito: SU-bi-to: immediately; su-BI-to: suffered
capitano: CA-pi-ta-no: they happen; ca-pi-TA-no: captain

In normal writing these words have no accent mark, and context makes the meaning clear.

Pairs that differ in stress and accent

When the stress moves to the last syllable, the accent appears, so the two words look different in writing.

meta / metà: goal, destination (ME-ta) / half (me-TÀ)
pero / però: pear tree (PE-ro) / but, however (pe-RÒ)
papa / papà: pope (PA-pa) / dad (pa-PÀ)

Papa and papà are the classic pair. Say papà with the stress on the end, or you will be calling your father the pope.

Quick Check: Word Stress

Mark the stressed syllable.

1. Where is the stress in tavolo?

Answer: TA-vo-lo

Third-to-last syllable.

2. Where is the stress in Milano?

Answer: mi-LA-no

The default pattern.

3. Where is the stress in lavorano?

Answer: la-VO-ra-no

Same as lavoro: la-VO-ro.

4. Where is the stress in parlerò?

Answer: par-le-RÒ

The accent marks a final stress.

5. Where is the stress in scrivere?

Answer: SCRI-ve-re

A stem-stressed -ere verb.

Word Stress FAQs

Where is the stress in Italian words?: Most words are stressed on the second-to-last syllable: a-MI-co, ra-GAZ-zo. Many common words are stressed on the third-to-last: MAC-chi-na, te-LE-fo-no. Words stressed on the last syllable carry a written accent: cit-TÀ, per-CHÉ.
Does Italian mark stress in writing?: Only on the final syllable. Every word of more than one syllable stressed on its final vowel carries an accent: caffè, università, parlerò. Inside a word, stress is not marked, except occasionally to separate words such as àncora and ancóra.
How do I know where the stress falls on a new word?: Check a dictionary, which marks the stress of every word. If you have no dictionary, guess the second-to-last syllable, which is right for most words. Adjectives ending in -abile and -evole, and many ending in -ico, are stressed on the third-to-last syllable: pro-BA-bi-le, pia-CE-vo-le, sim-PA-ti-co.
Why is the loro form of verbs stressed so early?: The loro form adds -no to the lui form without moving the stress. Parla is PAR-la, so parlano is PAR-la-no. With verbs already stressed on the third-to-last syllable, such as abitare (A-bi-to), the loro form is stressed on the fourth-to-last: A-bi-ta-no.
Does stress change the meaning of Italian words?: Sometimes. Àncora (anchor) and ancóra (still, again), prìncipi (princes) and princìpi (principles), and papa (pope) and papà (dad) are the best-known examples. In normal texts only papà shows its stress, so context does the rest.