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Italian · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "uno" in Italian?
OO-no, stress on the first syllable, both vowels short and clear. In IPA: /ˈu.no/.
Two syllables, u and no, with the emphasis up front. Nothing about the spelling hides an extra or missing sound.
Listen: uno
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Sound it out
This is a straightforward word to sound out, every letter maps to one clear sound. The main adjustment is keeping both vowels short and pure, without the lengthening or gliding English speakers tend to add.
Hear it in a sentence
Ne ho comprato solo uno.
I only bought one.
Listen: Ne ho comprato solo uno.
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In "Ne ho comprato solo uno," "ne" stands in for "of them" (referring to something already mentioned), and "uno" replaces the counted noun itself, together giving "I only bought one [of them]." "Uno" takes this full form, rather than the shortened "un," specifically because it's standing alone as a pronoun rather than sitting directly in front of a noun.
That distinction matters: as an article before a masculine noun, "uno" shortens to "un" ("un cane," a dog) or keeps its full form before certain consonant clusters ("uno zaino," a backpack), but as a standalone number or pronoun, as in the example, it always stays "uno."
Where English speakers slip
English speakers sometimes lengthen the u into the glide heard in the card game "Uno," often pronounced with a drawn-out "OOH-no" in English. Italian keeps the vowel short and clipped, the same tight "oo" quality as in "food" but without the drawn-out length, holding it only briefly rather than stretching it for emphasis.
The other slip is stressing the second syllable, treating "uno" like a two-beat word with even weight. Italian stress falls clearly on the first syllable, "OO-no," with the second syllable said noticeably lighter and faster.