Italian · Difficult words
How to pronounce cinque in Italian
cinque
Five
Standard Italian · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.
cinque is pronounced /ˈt͡ʃin.kwe/ in Italian. In cinque: 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.
Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
Find the sounds in cinque
Read cinque in these IPA segments: ˈt͡ʃin · kwe. 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 cinque: 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 /e/ vowel
In cinque: Keep the tongue toward the front and sustain a single /e/ vowel. Listen for its exact height in the recording.
Watch out: English “ay” often ends with a glide; do not automatically carry that glide into this vowel.
3.Front-vowel position
In cinque: 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
Cinque panini al formaggio, grazie.
Five cheese rolls, please.
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
cinque 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 cinque
How do you pronounce cinque?
cinque is pronounced /ˈt͡ʃin.kwe/ in Italian. In cinque: 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 cinque: 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.
