LingoDrop
Italian · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "scusa" in Italian?
SKOO-za, with a voiced "z" in the middle, not an "s" sound. In IPA: /ˈsku.za/.
Two syllables, scu and sa, stressed on the first. The letter s in the middle is written the same as the one at the start, but the two are pronounced differently.
Listen: scusa
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Sound it out
The tricky part isn't the vowels, it's the two different s-sounds hiding behind two identical-looking letters. Italian s changes its voicing depending on where it sits in the word, and "scusa" is a clean example of both values showing up back to back.
Hear it in a sentence
Scusa, sono in ritardo.
Sorry, I'm late.
Listen: Scusa, sono in ritardo.
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"Scusa" is the informal, tu-form command of "scusare" (to excuse), used with friends, family, or peers — the formal equivalent addressed to a stranger or someone owed respect is "scusi." In "Scusa, sono in ritardo," it apologizes directly for being late, but the same word also works to get someone's attention, the way English "excuse me" can mean either "sorry" or "pardon me, but..."
Because it's a command form rather than a noun or adjective, "scusa" doesn't change for gender, only for formality — a man and a woman apologizing informally both say exactly "scusa."
Where English speakers slip
The most frequent mistake is pronouncing the middle "s" as unvoiced, saying "SKOO-sa" with the same hissing s that opens the word. Italian regularly voices a single s between two vowels, turning it into a "z" sound, so the correct pronunciation actually has two different consonant sounds hiding behind two identical letters.
The other slip is treating "sc" as "sh," a habit that makes sense once English speakers learn that Italian "sc" before e or i (as in "scena" or "pesce") really is pronounced "sh." "Scusa" breaks that pattern because it's followed by u, not e or i, so "sc" here stays a plain, hard "sk," as in "school."