Italian › Vocabulary › Numbers
In short: Italian numbers are wonderfully regular — learn 1–20 and the tens, and you can build every number to 100 with one gluing rule (drop a vowel before uno and otto: ventuno, ventotto). Every number below is spoken aloud. 👇
5 = cinque
CHEEN-kweh — the number that teaches you half of Italian pronunciation
0 to 12 — the foundation
| # | Word | Say it like | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | zero | DZEH-roh | |
| 1 | uno | OO-noh | |
| 2 | due | DOO-eh | |
| 3 | tre | treh | |
| 4 | quattro | KWAHT-troh | |
| 5 | cinque | CHEEN-kweh | |
| 6 | sei | say | |
| 7 | sette | SET-teh | |
| 8 | otto | OHT-toh | |
| 9 | nove | NOH-veh | |
| 10 | dieci | DYEH-chee | |
| 11 | undici | OON-dee-chee | |
| 12 | dodici | DOH-dee-chee |
13 to 19 — two mini-patterns
13–16 end in -dici; at 17 the pattern politely flips (dicia- comes first):
| # | Word | Say it like | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | tredici | TREH-dee-chee | |
| 14 | quattordici | kwaht-TOR-dee-chee | |
| 15 | quindici | KWEEN-dee-chee | |
| 16 | sedici | SEH-dee-chee | |
| 17 | diciassette | dee-chahs-SET-teh | |
| 18 | diciotto | dee-CHOHT-toh | |
| 19 | diciannove | dee-chahn-NOH-veh |
The tens — and the gluing rule
| # | Word | Say it like | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | venti | VEN-tee | |
| 30 | trenta | TREN-tah | |
| 40 | quaranta | kwah-RAHN-tah | |
| 50 | cinquanta | cheen-KWAHN-tah | |
| 60 | sessanta | ses-SAHN-tah | |
| 70 | settanta | set-TAHN-tah | |
| 80 | ottanta | oht-TAHN-tah | |
| 90 | novanta | noh-VAHN-tah | |
| 100 | cento | CHEN-toh |
💡 The gluing rule: tens + ones as one word — trentadue (32), quarantacinque (45). Before uno and otto, drop the tens’ final vowel: ventuno · ventotto — and -tré takes an accent: trentatré .
🇮🇹 Where you’ll use them first: the market (un etto = 100 grams!), the espresso bill, and the eternal question “Quanti anni hai?” — how old are you? Italians ask cheerfully and early. Now you can answer with a perfectly glued number.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you count from 1 to 10 in Italian?
Uno, due, tre, quattro, cinque, sei, sette, otto, nove, dieci. They roll off the tongue — hear each one above, and notice cinque (CHEEN-kweh): the ci is a “ch” sound.
Why is 21 ventuno and not ventiuno?
Italian drops the final vowel of the tens before uno and otto (which start with vowels): venti + uno → ventuno, venti + otto → ventotto. It keeps the language flowing — Italian hates two vowels bumping shoulders.
Does 23 really have an accent — ventitré?
Yes: numbers ending in -tré carry a written accent (ventitré, trentatré, quarantatré…). It marks the stress landing on the final syllable — say trentatré (tren-tah-TREH) and you’ll hear why.