Italian · Difficult words
How to pronounce cento in Italian
cento
One hundred
Standard Italian · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.
cento is pronounced /ˈt͡ʃɛn.to/ in Italian. In cento: Make a single “ch” sound, beginning with a brief stop and releasing into friction. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
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Find the sounds in cento
Read cento in these IPA segments: ˈt͡ʃɛn · to. Dots and stress marks identify the boundaries shown in the reference; these symbols are not English spelling. The mark /ˈ/ comes immediately before the main stressed syllable. Give that syllable a little more prominence without swallowing the others.
1.The affricate /tʃ/
In cento: Make a single “ch” sound, beginning with a brief stop and releasing into friction.
Watch out: Do not separate it into a t syllable followed by sh.
2.A steady /o/ vowel
In cento: Round the lips and keep the tongue toward the back for a steady /o/. Follow the length indicated in the transcription.
Watch out: Avoid automatically turning a single /o/ into the moving vowel of English “go”.
3.The open /ɛ/ vowel
In cento: Keep the vowel open, like the vowel in many pronunciations of English “bed”, without a final glide.
Watch out: Avoid turning this vowel into English “ay”.
Hear it in context
Ti do cento euro esatti.
I'll give you exactly one hundred euros.
Listen once, say it aloud, then replay at 1.00×. Keep the word connected to the surrounding sentence rather than giving every syllable equal weight.
Pronunciation and variety
cento is presented using Standard Italian. Regional accents and connected speech can change details. The isolated word and the example let you compare the dictionary form with a short spoken context.
The English-style respelling is approximate. Use the IPA and recording together for vowel quality and consonants that do not have an exact English equivalent.
Meaning and everyday use
Questions about cento
How do you pronounce cento?
cento is pronounced /ˈt͡ʃɛn.to/ in Italian. In cento: Make a single “ch” sound, beginning with a brief stop and releasing into friction. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
What should I listen for first?
In cento: Make a single “ch” sound, beginning with a brief stop and releasing into friction. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.
