Italian
/ɪˈtæl.jən/adjective, noun
Italian is spelled I-T-A-L-I-A-N: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 46 times per million words in written English, the 2,204th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, Italian means “Pertaining to Italy” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in Italian?
| Letters | 7: I-T-A-L-I-A-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 46 times per million words; the 2,204th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is Italian?
Italian appears 46 times per million words in written English, the 2,204th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce Italian?
- US /ɪˈtæl.jən/
- /aɪˈtæl.jən/
- Australia /əˈtæl.jən/
Italian has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-Italian.wav, En-us-Italian.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with Italian?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as Italian from its last stressed vowel (/æljən/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of Italian
- more Italian comparative
- most Italian superlative
- Italians plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does Italian mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Pertaining to Italy.
Italian borders
- 2
Pertaining to its people or their cultures.
Italian cuisines
- 3
Pertaining to their language.
Italian verbs
- 4
obsoleteUsing an italic style; italic.
noun
- 1
A person from Italy or of Italian descent.
A tour group of Italians is visiting Westminster Cathedral today.
- 2
A style of cuisine or individual dishes of or associated with Italy or Italian people.
A: What's for dinner tonight? B: I don't know about you, but I'm ready for some Italian tonight!
- 3
Ellipsis of Italian cloth.
They bought a bolt of the finest Italian that can be had this side of Italy.
- 4
Ellipsis of Italian vermouth, a dark-colored sweet or mildly bitter vermouth.
gin and Italian
- 5
Ellipsis of Italian bread.
Can I please get a meatball sub on Italian? Thank you!
- 6
Ellipsis of Italian sandwich.
Can I please get an Italian and a beer? Thank you!
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Italian in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | italien , italophone , Italien, Italienne |
| German | italienisch , italienischsprachig, italienischsprachlich, italophon , Italiener, Italienerin |
| Portuguese | italiano, ítalo, itálico , italiana |
| Spanish | italiano, ítalo, tano , italiana |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does Italian come from?
From Middle English Italian, from Medieval Latin Italiānus, from Latin Italia (“Italy”). By surface analysis, Italia + -n.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).