C, g and a useful silent h

Read cena, chiave, gelato and spaghetti without English spelling habits.

The next vowel matters

C before e/i is /tʃ/ as in English cheese; g before e/i is /dʒ/ as in jam. Before a/o/u, c is /k/ and g is /g/. An h in che, chi, ghe, ghi preserves the hard consonant; it is not pronounced on its own.

cena · chiave

dinner · key

A spelling helper

In ciao and giorno, i helps mark the soft consonant before another vowel; it does not add an extra syllable.

gelato · spaghetti

ice cream · spaghetti