Italian · Food & drink
How to pronounce cibo in Italian
cibo
Food
Standard Italian · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.
cibo is pronounced /ˈt͡ʃi.bo/ in Italian. In cibo: 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 cibo
Read cibo in these IPA segments: ˈt͡ʃi · bo. 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 cibo: 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 cibo: 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.Front-vowel position
In cibo: Listen for the distinction between the closer /i/ and the more relaxed /ɪ/ when shown. Keep your tongue toward the front.
Watch out: Do not decide vowel quality from English spelling alone.
Hear it in context
Il cibo italiano è semplice e buono.
Italian food is simple and good.
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
cibo 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 cibo
How do you pronounce cibo?
cibo is pronounced /ˈt͡ʃi.bo/ in Italian. In cibo: 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 cibo: 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.
