π In short. The italian s and z letters each hide two sounds. The s in rosa is voiced, like the buzz of an English z; the s in sasso is voiceless, the crisp hiss of an English s. The z in zucchero is voiceless /ts/, like the ts in “cats”; the z in zaino is voiced /dz/, like the ds in “kids”. Same letter on the page, two different sounds in the mouth. The choice is usually fixed by the word and by the region: Northern Italians voice almost every intervocalic s, Southern Italians keep it crisp, and Tuscans (the historical model) split the words case by case. This A2 guide tells you which sound goes where, without scary symbols.
Get the italian s and z right and the rest of your pronunciation falls into place. You stop saying kasa with a tourist hiss when you meant kaza, and you stop hesitating before zaino. The patterns are few, the regional variation is real but friendly, and your ear will lock them in within a week of listening.
Cosa impareremo oggi
ππ» Jump to section
- What voiced and voiceless mean (no jargon)
- The italian s and z letters: two sounds each
- When s starts a word
- When s sits between two vowels
- When z starts a word
- When z or zz sits between vowels
- North, South, Tuscany: who voices what
- Cheat sheet
- Dialogue: morning at a Sassari cheese dairy
- Mini-challenge
- Frequently asked questions
- Related guides
What voiced and voiceless mean (no jargon)
Put a finger on your throat and say a long English sssss. The throat stays quiet. Now say zzzzz. The throat starts buzzing. That buzz is what linguists call voicing: the vocal cords vibrate. A voiceless sound is the one without the buzz; a voiced sound is the one with the buzz. Same mouth position, different engine.
That is the whole secret behind the italian s and z. Each letter can be voiced (buzz on) or voiceless (buzz off), and Italian uses the difference inside everyday words. You don’t need symbols to feel it. Just remember: English see versus zee, English peace versus peas, English cats versus kids. The italian s and z system works the same way, only the letter on the page doesn’t always tell you which version to choose. Once your ear catches the buzz, the italian s and z stop feeling random.
- sasso (voiceless s)
stone, like English “say” - rosa (voiced s, like English z)
rose, like English “rose” - zucchero (voiceless z, like “ts” in “cats”)
sugar - zaino (voiced z, like “ds” in “kids”)
backpack
The italian s and z letters: two sounds each
So the italian s and z carry a hidden second sound that the spelling never shows. The letter s can be voiceless (the hiss in sole, sera, scusa) or voiced (the buzz in rosa, chiesa, francese). The letter z can be voiceless (the crisp ts in zucchero, zio, zuppa) or voiced (the soft ds in zaino, zero, zebra). Four sounds, two letters.
The good news: most of the time the choice for italian s and z is fixed by the position of the letter in the word and by the consonants around it. The slightly trickier news: a small group of italian s and z words can go either way depending on which region you’re in, and even native speakers disagree. The next sections take the italian s and z patterns position by position, with example words an A2 learner already knows.
Italian s and z at the start: when s opens a word
At the start of a word, the rule splits into two clear cases. If s is followed by a vowel or by a voiceless consonant (p, t, c, f, q), the s is voiceless: the crisp hiss. If s is followed by a voiced consonant (b, d, g, l, m, n, r, v), the s always voices itself to match: the buzz turns on.
- sole, sera, scusa, Sassari, Serena (voiceless s + vowel)
sun, evening, sorry, Sassari, Serena - stanza, scuola, sport, scarpa, sfortuna (voiceless s + voiceless consonant)
room, school, sport, shoe, bad luck - sbaglio, sveglia, smettere, snello, slitta (voiced s + voiced consonant)
mistake, alarm clock, to stop, slim, sled - svenire, sdentato, sregolato, sgombro (voiced s + voiced consonant)
to faint, toothless, unruly, mackerel
The rule is automatic. You don’t choose: your mouth simply matches the next consonant. Try saying sbaglio with a voiceless s and you’ll feel your throat fight you. Italian is being efficient: voiced next door means voiced here too. This is one of the few italian s and z rules with zero exceptions, north or south.
π― Mini-challenge: Mark each s at the start of these words as voiceless (Vβ) or voiced (V+).
- sbaglio
- scuola
- svelto
- sport
- smettere
- sera
π Show answers
1. sbaglio V+ (s + b voiced)
2. scuola Vβ (s + c voiceless)
3. svelto V+ (s + v voiced)
4. sport Vβ (s + p voiceless)
5. smettere V+ (s + m voiced)
6. sera Vβ (s + vowel, voiceless by default)
Italian s and z between vowels: the tricky s
This is the slippery part of the italian s and z system. When an s sits between two vowels (casa, rosa, naso, francese), Italian gives no spelling clue about whether the s is voiced or voiceless. The traditional Tuscan model splits the words case by case: some are voiceless (casa, cosa, mese, naso, peso, così), most are voiced (rosa, chiesa, francese, bisogno, desiderio). No other corner of the italian s and z asks so much memorization.
- Voiceless intervocalic s: casa, cosa, mese, naso, peso, così, paese
house, thing, month, nose, weight, so, country - Voiced intervocalic s: rosa, chiesa, francese, bisogno, riso, posizione
rose, church, French, need, rice, position - Adjectives in -ese (almost always voiceless): inglese, milanese, sassarese
English, from Milan, from Sassari - Words borrowed or learned (often voiced): musica, fisica, presidente, televisione
music, physics, president, television
This is the spot where modern Italians simplify. In Northern Italy, every intervocalic s is voiced: casa sounds like kaza, naso like nazo. In Southern Italy, every intervocalic s is voiceless: rosa sounds like rossa (well, a single s, but crisp), chiesa with a hiss. Tuscany sits in the middle and keeps the historical split. For a learner, the practical answer is to follow the region where you study, and to memorize the few Tuscan-style splits if you want the prestige form. Northern voicing is gaining ground everywhere and is widely felt as the “neutral” Italian today.
Italian s and z: when z starts a word
For the italian s and z at the start of a word, the letter z has two faces. Traditional Tuscan pronunciation makes a fine distinction: voiceless /ts/ in some words (zio, zucchero, zuppa, zampa) and voiced /dz/ in others (zaino, zero, zebra, zona, zanzara). The modern reality, even in Tuscany, is that voiced /dz/ is gaining ground at the start of words: today most Italians say zio with a soft /dz/ buzz rather than the older crisp /ts/.
- Traditionally voiceless /ts/: zio, zia, zucchero, zuppa, zampa, zoppo
uncle, aunt, sugar, soup, paw, lame - Traditionally voiced /dz/: zaino, zero, zebra, zona, zanzara
backpack, zero, zebra, zone, mosquito - Modern tendency: most word-initial z drifts toward voiced /dz/
even traditionally voiceless words like zio are softening
For an A2 learner the practical advice is short: don’t worry too much about getting voiceless versus voiced right at the start of the word. The italian s and z system tolerates both, and Italians understand each other across the variation. What matters is that you produce some z sound, not a plain s or a plain d.
Italian s and z mid-word: z and zz between vowels
Inside a word, between two vowels, Italian always lengthens the z. Whether it’s written as a single z or as double zz, the sound is long: a held /tts/ or /ddz/. This is one of the trickiest details for English speakers, because the spelling lies a little. Spazi (“spaces”) and spazzi (“you sweep”) are pronounced with the same long z; the extra letter in writing is a holdover, not a sound change.
- Voiceless long zz /tts/: piazza, ragazzo, palazzo, ozio, prezzo
square, boy, palace, idleness, price - Voiced long zz /ddz/: mezzo, azzurro, mozzarella
half, light blue, mozzarella - Single z that still sounds long: spazi, ozono, azoto
spaces, ozone, nitrogen - Other long z words: pranzo, zanzara, marzo, prezzo, gennaio
lunch, mosquito, March, price, January
A useful sub-rule for the italian s and z: nouns ending in -zione (azione, nazione, stazione, posizione) are always voiceless /ts/. The same goes for all verbs ending in -izzare (realizzare, organizzare, utilizzare) which are always voiced /dz/. Beyond those two productive endings, the italian s and z choice is mostly a vocabulary matter: you learn each word with its sound.
Italian s and z by region: North, South, Tuscany
The italian s and z rules look messy on paper, but the regional logic behind them is simple and worth knowing. Each big area handles the doubtful cases (intervocalic s, word-initial z) its own way. None of these versions is “wrong”; television Italian leans toward the Northern voiced model, while careful actors and broadcasters often follow the Tuscan compromise.
- North (Torino, Bergamo, Bologna, Venezia): every intervocalic s is voiced. Casa becomes kaza, cosa becomes koza, naso becomes nazo. This is the prestige model on Italian TV.
- South (Napoli, Bari, Palermo): every intervocalic s is voiceless. Rosa sounds like a long crisp s, chiesa hisses, francese hisses too. Less prestige nationally but completely natural.
- Tuscany (Firenze, Pisa, Lucca): historical split. Casa voiceless, rosa voiced, no system you can guess. This is the model in older dictionaries.
- Sardegna and the islands: closer to the Southern voiceless model, with local nuances. Sassari and Cagliari tend toward voiceless intervocalic s.
For z at the start of a word, the Northern preference is voiced /dz/ across the board. The South often keeps the voiceless /ts/ in words like zio and zucchero. As a learner of the italian s and z, you can pick the model that matches your teacher or your favorite city; either is intelligible everywhere. The Accademia della Crusca (Italy’s main language authority) has noted that the voiced version of the italian s and z is increasingly felt as the prestige choice in modern usage.
π― Mini-challenge: Read each word and decide whether the underlined sound is voiceless or voiced in the Tuscan model.
- casa
- rosa
- francese (the s, not the c)
- zaino
- zucchero
- piazza
- mezzo
- nazione
π Show answers
1. casa voiceless (Tuscan) / voiced in the North
2. rosa voiced everywhere
3. francese voiced in Tuscan, voiced in the North, voiceless in the deep South
4. zaino voiced /dz/
5. zucchero traditionally voiceless /ts/, increasingly voiced /dz/ in modern speech
6. piazza voiceless long /tts/
7. mezzo voiced long /ddz/
8. nazione voiceless /ts/ (all -zione endings)
Cheat sheet
One table covering the italian s and z rules at A2 level. Keep it open while you read aloud during your first weeks of practice.
| Position | Sound | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| s + vowel (start of word) | voiceless | sole, sera, Sassari | always |
| s + voiceless consonant | voiceless | stanza, scuola, sport | always |
| s + voiced consonant | voiced | sbaglio, sveglia, smettere | always |
| s between vowels (Tuscan) | varies word by word | casa voiceless, rosa voiced | memorize or check dictionary |
| s between vowels (North) | always voiced | kaza, naza, koza | prestige model on TV |
| s between vowels (South) | always voiceless | rossa-like, chiessa-like | natural, less prestige |
| z at start of word | traditionally split, now mostly voiced | zaino /dz/, zucchero /ts/ or /dz/ | both intelligible |
| z or zz between vowels | always long | piazza /tts/, mezzo /ddz/ | single z spelling lies |
| -zione ending | voiceless long /tts/ | nazione, stazione, azione | all of them |
| -izzare verbs | voiced long /ddz/ | realizzare, organizzare | all of them |
Dialogue: morning at a Sassari cheese dairy
Serena visits a small caseificio outside Sassari, where Gianluca makes pecorino sardo by hand. Listen for the italian s and z sounds in everyday Sardinian Italian: voiceless intervocalic s, voiced z at word-start, and the long zz in mozzarella and pranzo.
π©π½β𦱠Serena: Buongiorno Gianluca, scusa il ritardo. Ho preso la strada sbagliata fuori Sassari.
Good morning Gianluca, sorry for the delay. I took the wrong road outside Sassari.
π¨πΌβπ¦° Gianluca: Nessun problema, sei in orario per la salatura. Vieni, ti faccio vedere la sala fresca.
No problem, you’re in time for the salting. Come, I’ll show you the cool room.
π©π½β𦱠Serena: Che odore intenso. Sono tutte forme di pecorino?
What a strong smell. Are these all wheels of pecorino?
π¨πΌβπ¦° Gianluca: SΓ¬, ogni forma pesa circa tre chili. Riposano qui per mesi.
Yes, each wheel weighs about three kilos. They rest here for months.
π©π½β𦱠Serena: E quel sacco grande? Γ sale grosso?
And that big sack? Is it coarse salt?
π¨πΌβπ¦° Gianluca: Esatto, sale marino. Lo usiamo per la stagionatura. Ti va una fetta da assaggiare?
Exactly, sea salt. We use it for aging. Want a slice to taste?
π©π½β𦱠Serena: Volentieri, grazie. Senti, dopo posso passare anche alla vecchia trafileria vicino al fiume?
Gladly, thanks. Listen, can I stop by the old workshop near the river afterward?
π¨πΌβπ¦° Gianluca: Quella vecchia con la trafila in bronzo? SΓ¬, apre alle dieci. Fanno busiate e malloreddus.
The old one with the bronze die? Yes, it opens at ten. They make busiate and malloreddus.
π©π½β𦱠Serena: Perfetto. Per pranzo mi fermo in piazza Castello, poi vado lΓ¬.
Perfect. For lunch I’ll stop at piazza Castello, then I’ll head there.
π¨πΌβπ¦° Gianluca: Buona idea. Lo zaino lascialo qui se vuoi, lo riprendi dopo.
Good idea. Leave the backpack here if you want, you can pick it up later.
π©π½β𦱠Serena: Grazie davvero. Ah, una curiositΓ : i casari sassaresi dicono “kaza” o “kasa”?
Thanks a lot. Oh, a question: do Sassari cheesemakers say “kaza” or “kasa”?
π¨πΌβπ¦° Gianluca: Qui diciamo “kasa”, con la esse secca. Al nord la sentirai sempre “kaza”.
Here we say “kasa”, with a dry s. In the north you’ll always hear “kaza”.
What to notice in the dialogue
- Sassari, sale, salatura, sala, sei, sì, sale, sacco: every word-initial s before a vowel is voiceless.
- sbagliata, scusa (s + voiceless c), strada (s + voiceless t): standard voiceless before voiceless consonants.
- passare, riposano, casari, sassaresi: typical Sardinian voiceless intervocalic s, matching the Southern model.
- pranzo, piazza, zaino, mezzo: z and zz examples across the dialogue.
- “kasa” vs “kaza”: the meta-comment at the end makes the regional split explicit; Sassari prefers voiceless even where Tuscany or the North would voice.
- busiate, malloreddus, pecorino, trafila: real Sardinian food and craft vocabulary, not generic stereotypes.
Mini-challenge
π― Final challenge: Mark each highlighted letter as Vβ (voiceless) or V+ (voiced).
- sbasso
- francese (the s, not the c)
- zaino
- stazione
- mozzarella
- peso
- realizzare
- scuola
- rosa
- zucchero (traditional)
π Show answers
1. sbasso V+ (s + b voiced)
2. francese V+ (intervocalic, voiced in Tuscan and North)
3. zaino V+ (voiced /dz/)
4. stazione Vβ (all -zione voiceless /ts/)
5. mozzarella V+ (voiced long /ddz/)
6. peso Vβ (Tuscan voiceless; V+ in the North)
7. realizzare V+ (all -izzare voiced /ddz/)
8. scuola Vβ (s + voiceless c)
9. rosa V+ (voiced everywhere)
10. zucchero Vβ traditionally /ts/, modern speakers often shift to V+ /dz/
Mastering the italian s and z comes from steady listening rather than memorizing tables. Watch an Italian film, repeat after Sardinian, Milanese, and Sicilian speakers, and you’ll feel the voicing settle into your ear. Most learners notice the italian s and z difference between voiced and voiceless intervocalic s after a week of attentive practice. Pair this italian s and z guide with the quiz below to lock in the rules, and come back to it after listening to native speakers for a few days. The italian s and z will reward your patience with a far more natural accent.
Test your understanding
Take the quiz below to test what you’ve learned about the italian s and z.
(Quiz coming soon)
Frequently asked questions
These questions about the italian s and z come from real conversations among Italian learners online. The regional patterns are documented by the Accademia della Crusca consultancy on the pronunciation of s, the main authority on the Italian language.
Is naso pronounced with /s/ or /z/?
Both pronunciations are heard and accepted. The traditional Tuscan model says /naso/ with a voiceless s, the same hiss as English see. Northern Italians and most modern speakers say /nazo/ with a voiced s, the same buzz as English zoo. Southern speakers stay with the voiceless /naso/. None of these is wrong. The voiced version is gaining ground and is often felt as the prestige choice on national television, but you will be understood with either pronunciation, in Sassari or Sondrio.
Why is the s in sbudellare voiced like a z?
Because Italian automatically matches voicing across consonant clusters. Whenever s is immediately followed by a voiced consonant (b, d, g, l, m, n, r, v), the s voices itself to match: sbudellare, smettere, snello, slitta, svelto, sdentato. This rule has no exceptions, north or south, in any register. Try saying sbudellare with a voiceless s and you will feel your throat resist: the mouth wants the buzz on. Note the opposite case too: s before a voiceless consonant (p, t, c, f) stays voiceless, as in stanza, scuola, sport.
Is z in zucchero pronounced /ts/ or /dz/?
Traditionally /ts/, voiceless, like English ts in cats. That is the pronunciation given in older dictionaries and prescribed by conservative grammars. The modern reality is that voiced /dz/ is gaining ground at the start of words, even in Tuscany, so many speakers today say zucchero with a soft /dz/. Both are intelligible, both are correct in current usage. The same shift is happening with zio, zia, zuppa, zampa. If you want to play safe, use /dz/ for zaino, zero, zebra, zona, zanzara (always voiced) and pick either /ts/ or /dz/ for the other word-initial z, depending on the model you prefer.
What’s the difference between single z and zz between vowels?
There is no difference of pronunciation. Both are pronounced as a long z, either voiceless /tts/ or voiced /ddz/. Single z between vowels never gives a short sound: spazi (spaces) and spazzi (you sweep) sound identical, only the spelling differs. This is a holdover from the history of Italian writing. Other long-by-default consonants in the middle of a word are gn (gnomo, lo gnomo lengthens to /Ι²Ι²/), gli (aglio /ΚΚ/), and sc + e/i (pesce /ΚΚ/). When you see one of these between vowels, expect the consonant to be held longer than its single counterpart.
How do I know which intervocalic s to use without a dictionary?
For most A2 learners the practical answer is: copy the region you study in. If your teacher is from Bologna or Torino, voice every intervocalic s and you will sound natural. If your teacher is from Napoli, Bari, or Sassari, keep them voiceless. If you want the historical Tuscan split (the one in older dictionaries), memorize the voiceless group (casa, cosa, mese, naso, peso, paese, così) and voice the rest. None of these strategies is wrong. Italians from different regions hear and use all three patterns every day, and the country has been arguing about which is the correct version for over a century.
Does a written accent ever tell me s or z is voiced?
No, written accents in Italian mark stress and open or closed vowel quality, not voicing. The letters s and z carry their voicing information invisibly, and you have to learn it from listening or from a good dictionary that shows phonetic transcription. The italian s and z are unusual that way: most other letters in Italian have a single, predictable pronunciation that the spelling reveals. The Treccani vocabolario and a pronunciation manual like Canepari give voicing information for each word, but for an A2 learner the fastest method is to imitate native speakers. Your ear will pick up the regional pattern within weeks, and the words that go against it (the so-called Tuscan exceptions) will start to feel familiar through repetition.
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Related guides
- Italian Alphabet: How to Say All 26 Letters. The A1 base for letter names and sounds.
- Italian Double Consonants: Why Nonno Sounds Different from Nono. Including zz and ss length.
- Italian Open vs Closed E and O Sounds. Sister A2 guide to vowel pronunciation.
- Italian Raddoppiamento: A Casa Becomes Akkasa. Sandhi doubling across word boundaries.
- Accademia della Crusca: Sulla pronuncia della s. Institutional note on intervocalic s and its regional variants.
