Italian · Difficult words

How to pronounce pinguino in Italian

pinguino

Penguin

peen-GWEE-noh/pinˈɡwi.no/

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

pinguino is pronounced /pinˈɡwi.no/ in Italian. In pinguino: 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 pinguino

Read pinguino in these IPA segments: pin · ˈɡwi · no. 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 pinguino: 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 pinguino: 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 pinguino nuota sotto il ghiaccio.

The penguin swims under the ice.

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

pinguino 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 pinguino

How do you pronounce pinguino?

pinguino is pronounced /pinˈɡwi.no/ in Italian. In pinguino: 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 pinguino: 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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