Spelling out your last name in Italian

1. 1
   cognome/koɲˈɲome/

   last namenoun

   The family name, the one passed down from parents to children.
2. 2
   lettera/ˈlettera/

   letternoun

   Each of the signs used to write words.
3. 3
   maiuscolo/maˈjuskolo/

   capitaladjective

   Said of a large letter, the one a proper name starts with.
4. 4

   accentoaccent

5. 5

   doppiodouble

6. 6

   compitarespell out

7. 7

   ripetererepeat

8. 8

   sbagliareget wrong

9. 9

   esattoexact

10. 10

    chiaroclear

The sentences3 of 10

1. Mi scusi, il mio cognome è difficile da capire.

   I'm sorry, my last name is hard to understand.

2. Le dico ogni lettera con calma, va bene?

   I'll say each letter slowly, is that okay?

3. Scriva quel nome con la prima lettera in maiuscolo.

   Write that name with a capital first letter.

Pronunciation

• cognome/koɲˈɲome/

  The gn cluster is held long, like the ny in 'canyon', and the stress falls on the second syllable: co-GNO-me.

• lettera/ˈlettera/

  Hold the double t and stress the first syllable: LET-te-ra.

• maiuscolo/maˈjuskolo/

  The stress falls on -iu-, not on -sco-.

Questions

What does compitare mean?

Compitare means to say a word slowly, one letter at a time.