Minimal pair · Standard Italian
Italian /p/ vs /b/Panca or banca?
Learn to hear the difference between p and b in Italian words.
Practice these sounds/p/
An unvoiced lip closure
The lips close briefly and release. Listen to the opening consonant in the reference variety used here.
As inpanca
/b/
A voiced lip closure
A brief stop made with the lips. Its natural realization depends on the language and sound context.
As inbanca
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
A small change.
A different word.
Panca/banca, pasta/basta and pelle/belle begin with contrasting consonants. The remaining sound sequence stays the same within each pair.
Listen for the target sound in each word.
A common trap
Pelle and belle both contain a long l. That shared length is not the difference you are being asked to identify.
Sound examples
Tap to hear each wordpanca
/ˈpanka/benchpasta
/ˈpasta/pasta; doughpelle
/ˈpɛlːe/skinpane
/ˈpane/breadpala
/ˈpala/shovelbanca
/ˈbanka/bankbasta
/ˈbasta/enough!belle
/ˈbɛlːe/beautiful, feminine pluralbene
/ˈbɛne/wellbuco
/ˈbuko/hole10 words. Words stay hidden during practice unless you choose to reveal them.