Italian · Difficult words

How to pronounce vedova in Italian

vedova

Widow

VEH-doh-vah/ˈve.do.va/

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

vedova is pronounced /ˈve.do.va/ in Italian. In vedova: Keep the tongue toward the front and sustain a single /e/ vowel. Listen for its exact height in the recording. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.

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Find the sounds in vedova

Read vedova in these IPA segments: ˈve · do · va. 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 /e/ vowel

    In vedova: 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.

  2. 2.A steady /o/ vowel

    In vedova: 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. 3.An open vowel

    In vedova: Open the jaw for the a-like vowel shown in the IPA. Keep it continuous and follow the recording’s tongue position.

    Watch out: Do not substitute the English diphthong in “day”.

Hear it in context

La vedova Rossi abita al piano di sopra.

Widow Rossi lives upstairs.

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

vedova 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 vedova

How do you pronounce vedova?

vedova is pronounced /ˈve.do.va/ in Italian. In vedova: Keep the tongue toward the front and sustain a single /e/ vowel. Listen for its exact height in the recording. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.

What should I listen for first?

In vedova: Keep the tongue toward the front and sustain a single /e/ vowel. Listen for its exact height in the recording. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.

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