Sound contrast · Standard Italian
Italian /k/ vs /kː/k and kː
Learn to hear the difference between k and kː in Italian words.
Practice these sounds/k/
An unvoiced back closure
A brief stop made toward the back of the mouth.
As infoca
/kː/
The kː category
Listen for the target sound in each word.
As inpacca
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
A small change.
A different word.
Learn to hear the difference between k and kː in Italian words.
Listen for the target sound in each word.
Sound examples
Tap to hear each wordfoca
/ˈfɔka/sealbuco
/ˈbuko/holepoco
/ˈpɔko/littleeco
/ˈɛko/echofico
/ˈfiko/figpacca
/ˈpakːa/pat; slapbocca
/ˈbokːa/mouthsecco
/ˈsekːo/dryricco
/ˈrikːo/richsacco
/ˈsakːo/sack10 words. Words stay hidden during practice unless you choose to reveal them.