Italian · Difficult words

How to pronounce minuto in Italian

minuto

Minute

mee-NOO-toh/miˈnu.to/

Standard Italian · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.

minuto is pronounced /miˈnu.to/ in Italian. In minuto: Round the lips and keep the tongue toward the back for a steady /o/. Follow the length indicated in the transcription. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.

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Find the sounds in minuto

Read minuto in these IPA segments: mi · ˈnu · 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. 1.A steady /o/ vowel

    In minuto: 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”.

  2. 2.Front-vowel position

    In minuto: 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.

  3. 3.Back rounded vowels

    In minuto: Round your lips and keep the tongue toward the back. Follow the closer /u/ or more relaxed /ʊ/ quality written in the IPA.

    Watch out: Avoid inserting a y sound before the vowel unless the IPA includes /j/.

Hear it in context

Aspetta un minuto, prendo un foglio.

Wait a minute, I'll get a sheet of paper.

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

minuto 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 minuto

How do you pronounce minuto?

minuto is pronounced /miˈnu.to/ in Italian. In minuto: Round the lips and keep the tongue toward the back for a steady /o/. Follow the length indicated in the transcription. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.

What should I listen for first?

In minuto: Round the lips and keep the tongue toward the back for a steady /o/. Follow the length indicated in the transcription. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.

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