Italian · Difficult words
How to pronounce cognome in Italian
cognome
Last name
Standard Italian · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.
cognome is pronounced /koɲˈɲo.me/ in Italian. In cognome: Let the middle of your tongue rise toward the roof of your mouth, like the linked “ny” in “canyon”. Keep it one consonant. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
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Find the sounds in cognome
Read cognome in these IPA segments: koɲ · ˈɲo · me. 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 palatal n /ɲ/
In cognome: Let the middle of your tongue rise toward the roof of your mouth, like the linked “ny” in “canyon”. Keep it one consonant.
Watch out: Do not turn gn into a hard g followed by n.
2.A steady /e/ vowel
In cognome: 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.A steady /o/ vowel
In cognome: 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”.
Hear it in context
Mi dice il cognome, per favore?
Can you tell me the last name, 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
cognome 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 cognome
How do you pronounce cognome?
cognome is pronounced /koɲˈɲo.me/ in Italian. In cognome: Let the middle of your tongue rise toward the roof of your mouth, like the linked “ny” in “canyon”. Keep it one consonant. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
What should I listen for first?
In cognome: Let the middle of your tongue rise toward the roof of your mouth, like the linked “ny” in “canyon”. Keep it one consonant. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.
