Chapter 4 of 16 · Explore the Italian path
The script · Chapter 4 of 16
How long to hold a letter, and where to lean
A doubled letter is held longer, and holding it makes a different word. Then learn which piece of a word you lean on, and what an accent on the last letter tells you.
≈ 3 min of reading · Practise at your own pace
What’s in this chapter
- A doubled consonant is a longer sound, and it makes a different word: sono
“I am” against sonno “sleep”. - Hold a double rather than saying it twice — you already do it in pizza.
- By default you lean on the second-to-last piece: CA-sa, VOL-pe.
- An accent on the last letter means lean there: perché
pehr-KEH. - A small group leans further back, with no warning on the page: AL-be-ro, PIC-co-lo.
A doubled letter makes a different word
Holding a letter longer changes what the word means. Compare each row across: the two words differ only in the length of one letter.
| One letter | Means | Two letters | Means |
|---|---|---|---|
| sono | I am | sonno | sleep |
| casa | house | cassa | crate |
| nono | ninth | nonno | grandfather |
The length is what tells the two words apart — let the doubles slow you down. And a held s stays an s: cassa never softens to a z the way casa does.
Which piece of the word to lean on
Italian spelling mostly keeps this to itself. Each row gives you one case: the ordinary habit, the accent that tells you outright, and the words that go their own way.
Hold it, or lean on it
- sonno
Let the n hum for a beat.
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sonnoSOHN-noh “sleep”. With one n it would be sono “I am”. - nonno
Same held n.
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nonnoNOHN-noh “grandfather” - perché
The accent tells you where to lean.
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perchépehr-KEH “why; because” - piccolo
Held c, and the lean is further back: PIC-co-lo.
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piccoloPEEK-koh-loh “small”