One of the most difficult to learn the language English it’s there pronouncenot only for those who study the language, but also for native speakers. This is because English does not have a correspondence Between spelling And phoneticswhich can confuse those who try to rely only on the way the words appear written. While the Italian it tends to be a phonetic language – words are almost always pronounced as they are written – in fact, English has numerous exceptions and irregularities. In standard Italian you sound like la dental fricative “th” (both voiced and voiceless) do not exist, as do some vowels that require a different articulation. Or again, the word “Wednesday“for example, retains a trace of its Germanic past, even if today its pronunciation has been simplified compared to its written form. As a result, some words are particularly difficult for Italians. Let’s see 10 terms that present challenges due to their misleading spelling or particular sounds that do not exist in Italian phonetics, and what frequent mistakes can be made.
1. Wednesday /ˈwɛnzˌdeɪ/ (Wednesday)
The word “Wednesday” has a peculiarity linked to its historical spelling. The “d” that we see written is not pronounced, deriving from the Middle English version “Wōdnesdæg“, which in turn refers to the Norse god Odin (Woden). The correct pronunciation is /ˈwɛnzˌdeɪ/, which is rendered in Italian with a sound similar to “uens-dei“. Many Italians tend to pronounce all the letters, mistakenly saying “ved-nes-dei”.
2. Recipe /ˈresɪpɪ/ (recipe)
The word “recipe” confuses many because it might seem similar to the Italian “recipe”. Instead, the correct pronunciation is “resist“, where the final “e” is never vocalised. The most common mistake is maintaining a too rigid pronunciation of the vowels, typical of Italian, rather than adapting to the closure of the final English syllable.
3. Management /ˈmænɪdʒmənt/ (management)
The word “management” is complicated for several reasons: the initial vowel “a” is pronounced like the “æ” (a sound between the open “a” and “e”), and the “g” is rendered with a affricated sound, “dʒ“. Many Italians can fall into the trap of pronouncing “mæn-aʒ-mənt”, emphasizing the second “a” and not reducing the ending to “mənt“.
4. Manhattan /mænˈhætən/ (New York neighborhood)
In the word “Manhattan“, the “h” sound is less strong than Italians might imagine. We often hear incorrect pronunciations that emphasize the “h” too much, or that neglect it completely. The correct sound is /ˈhætən/, where the central “t” is a flapping “t” (almost a soft “d” sound) typical of the American accent.
5. Comfortable /ˈkʌmfətəbl/ (comfortable)
The term “Comfortable” has one of the largest discrepancies between writing and pronunciation. Although it appears to require four distinct syllables, it is actually pronounced in three syllables, with a phonetic reduction: /ˈkʌmf-təbl/. Many Italians tend to pronounce it with a sound similar to ” com-for-ta-bol”, which is excessively segmented.
6. Colleague /ˈkɒliːɡ/ (colleague)
The main difficulty in the word “colleague” is the pronunciation of “g” final. In English, this “g” is reduced to an almost silent sound: /ˈkɒliːɡ/, while in Italian it tends to emphasize it like “g” lasts. Also, the first “o” is not like the Italian “o”, but more like an open “ɒ”.
7. Pronunciation /prəˌnʌnsiˈeɪʃən/ (pronunciation)
A very common mistake is to confuse the word “pronunciation” with the verb from which it derives: “pronunciation“. Many people make a mistake in using the “ou” as in the verb, when instead in the noun form the correct sound is “ʌ”: /prəˌnʌnsiˈeɪʃən/. It is important to note the difference, even if the verb and the noun share the same root.
8. Clothes /kləʊðz/ (clothes)
The presence of sound”th“makes the word”clothes” especially difficult for Italians, as this voiced dental fricative sound does not exist in our language. Many Italians replace it with a “d” or omit it completely, but correct pronunciation requires the sound “ð“: /kləʊðz/.
9. Hungry /ˈhʌŋgrɪ/ (hungry)
The problem with the term “hungry” is related to his resemblance to “angry“. Many tend to confuse the two terms, especially due to the nasal sound “ng“. However, the vowel in the first syllable is completely different: in “hungry” we have “ʌ“, which is more like the “a” in “cat“, while in “angry“we find”æ“, which requires a greater opening of the mouth.
10. Angry /ˈæŋgrɪ/ (angry)
As mentioned, “angry” And “hungry” are distinguished mainly by the initial vowel. In “angry” the “a” is open and similar to the sound “æ”, which has no real equivalent in the Italian language. This difference, although subtle, completely changes the meaning of the word, making attention in pronunciation crucial.