In Italian, all consonants except h can be doubled. Double consonants (i consonanti doppie) are pronounced much more forcefully than single consonants. With double f, l, m, n, r, s, and v, the sound is prolonged; with double b, c, d, g, p, and t, the stop is stronger than for the single consonant. Double z is pronounced almost the same as single z. Double s is always unvoiced.

　　Double consonant examples:

　　Italian English

　　babbo dad

　　fetta slice

　　evviva hurrah

　　bistecca beefsteak

　　mamma mama

　　albicocca apricot

　　bello beautiful

　　filetto filet

　　anno year

　　assai a lot

　　basso short

　　ragazzo boy

　　ferro iron

　　pennello paint brush

　　espresso espresso coffee

　　tavolozza palette

　　spaghetti spaghetti

　　cavalletto easel

　　Most Italian words end in a vowel.

　　Diphthongs (i dittonghi) are two vowels fused to emit a single sound. A diphthong is formed when an unstressed i or u combines with another vowel (a, e, o) or when the two vowels combine with each other, in which case either the i or u may remain unstressed. In diphthongs, unstressed i and u become semivowels approximating in sound the English consonants y and w, respectively.

　　Diphthong examples:

　　Italian English

　　ieri yesterday

　　buono good

　　fiore flower

　　chiuso closed

　　invidia envy

　　più more

　　Tripthongs also exist. These are sequences of three vowels with a single sound, usually a diphthong followed by an unstressed i.

　　Italian English

　　tuoi yours

　　miei mine

　　buoi oxen

　　pigliai I took

　　Italian has numerous words that contain sequences of vowels. The following words are not triphthongs (which are infrequent), but sequences of a vowel and a diphthong.

　　Italian English

　　noia boredom

　　febbraio February

　　baia bay

　　fioraio florist

　　Each of the words below has a sequence of two diphthongs:

　　Italian English

　　ghiaia gravel

　　muoio I die

　　acquaio sink

　　gioiello jewel