109 unique, cool and beautiful Italian words to warm your heart

Italian is considered the most seductively beautiful language in the world, and its beauty lies in its words. All of those elongated vowels and melodically rolling “r” make even the simplest of words sound elegant, emotional, and sweet.

There are over 450,000 words in the Italian language. I’ve always been fascinated with words. They’re more than just strings of letters. Words are powerful. Words define the shape of our understanding. Words inspire, motivate, comfort, challenge, move, touch, hurt, intrigue, and entice us. As a writer and translator, I’m so happy to have built a career around words.

In this article, you’ll find a list of the most awesome sounding words in the Italian language, plus cool words and phrases, beautiful Italian sayings, fun-to-say words, unique expressions with no English equivalent, and more!

Beautiful Italian vocab

The Italian language is known for its fascinating history, richness of expressions, and beautiful-sounding words.

Make the most of the communicative power of the most beautiful words that the Italian language has to offer. A large vocabulary helps open our minds, improves our powers of expression and comprehension, and is essential to describe feelings and comment on the beauty of the world we live in.

Want to add idillio, aurora, evanescenza, and the most powerful, beautiful Italian words to your vocabulary? We’re here to help! Let’s get going with these aesthetically pleasing words, from the genuinely beautiful to the beautifully quirky.

Beautiful Italian words and meanings

The Italian language boasts a massive variety of words. It was no easy task to pick out the most beautiful Italian words out of an estimated total of 450,000, but we like challenging missions that require extra effort. Here are some words we think deserve the designation “beautiful.”

What makes a word beautiful? I personally think a harmonious blend of sound and meaning is what makes a word pleasant to hear and say. We’ve put together what we consider the most beautiful Italian words with deep meaning and an elegant, unique sound. Some are just so poetic and fascinatingly expressive, while others sound so lovely they could be repeated over and over again for your daily dose of ASMR.

Italian	English	IPA	Pronunciation
Nuvola	Cloud	[nˈuvola]	noo-voh-lah
Aurora	Dawn	[aʊrˈɔra]	ah-oo-roh-rah
Incantevole	Enchanting	[inkantˈevole]	een-kahn-teh-voh-leh
Rugiada	Dew	[rʊd͡ʒˈada]	roo-jee-ah-dah
Aria	Air	[ˈaria]	ah-ree-ah
Idillio	Idyll	[iˈdilljo]	ee-dee-lee-oh
Evanescenza	Evanescence	[evaneʃˈɛnt͡sa]	eh-vah-neh-shen-tsah
Allegria	Cheerfulness	[alleɡrˈia]	ahl-leh-gree-ah
Enigmatico / enigmatica	Enigmatic	[eniɡmˈatiko] [eniɡmˈatika]	eh-neeg-mah-tee-koh / eh-neeg-mah-tee-kah
Profeta	Prophet	[profˈɛta]	pro-pheh-tah
Magnetico / magnetica	Magnetic	[maɲˈɛtiko] [maɲˈɛtika]	mahn-yeh-tee-koh / mahn-yeh-tee-kah
Visibilio	Rapture	[vizibˈilio]	vee-zee-bee-lee-oh
Quintessenza	Quintessence	[kwintes͡sˈɛnt͡sa]	queen-teh-sehn-tsaa
Azzurro / azzurra	Light blue	[ad͡zːˈurɾo] [ad͡zːˈurɾa]	ah-tsoo-roh / ah-tsoo-rah
Farfalla	Butterfly	[farfˈalla]	phar-phal-lah
Meraviglia	Marvel	[meravˈiʎa]	meh-rah-vee-wlhee-ah
Euforia	Euphoria	[eʊforˈia]	eh-oo-pho-ree-ah
Luminescenza	Luminescence	[lʊmineʃˈɛnt͡sa]	loo-mee-neh-shen-tsah
Etereo / eterea	Ethereal	[etˈɛreo] [eterˈɛa]	eh-teh-reh-oh / eh-teh-reh-ah
Iridescenza	Iridescence	[irideʃˈɛnt͡sa]	ee-ree-deh-shen-tsah
Squisito / squisita	Exquisite, delicious	[skwizˈito] [skwizˈita]	skoo-ee-zee-toh / skoo-ee-zee-tah
Perenne	Everlasting	[perˈɛnne]	peh-reh-neh
Fiammifero	Match, matchstick	[fjammˈifero]	phee-ahm-mee-pheh-roh
Ineffabile	Ineffable, impossible to describe	[ineffˈabile]	ee-neh-pha-bee-leh

Beautiful Italian phrases, sayings and idioms

One of the most important parts of Italian learning is mastering common sayings and idioms. There are a huge number of beautiful Italian sayings, phrases, idioms and expressions that are worth knowing.

Learning them will not only enrich your vocabulary, it’ll also make you sound less like a textbook, and make you truly understand real Italian as it’s actually spoken by native speakers.

Italian	IPA	Pronunciation	Literal Meaning	Actual Meaning
In bocca al lupo	[ˈiːn bˈokːa ˈal lˈupo]	een boh-kah al loo-poh	In the mouth of the wolf	Good luck
Essere al settimo cielo	[ˈɛs͡sere ˈal sˈɛtːimo t͡ʃˈɛlo]	es-eh-reh al seh-tee-moh che-loh	To be in seventh heaven	To be extremely happy, joyful and elated
Non stare più nella pelle	[nˈon stˈare pjˈu nˈɛlla pˈɛlle]	non stah-reh pee-uh neh-lah peh-leh	To not stay in the skin any more	To look forward to something
Mangiare la foglia	[mand͡ʒˈare lˈa fˈɔʎa]	mahn-jee-ah-reh lah phoh-wlhee-ah	To eat the leaf	To understand that something strange is going on
Andare nel pallone	[andˈare nˈɛl pallˈone]	ahn-dah-reh nel pah-loh-neh	To go in the big ball	To feel so embarrassed, confused, and self-conscious that you can’t think straight
Calzare a pennello	[kalt͡sˈare ˈaː pennˈɛllo]	kahl-tsah-reh ah peh-nehl-oh	To put on at the paintbrush	To fit perfectly
Arrampicarsi sugli specchi	[arɾampikˈarsɪ sˈuʎɪ spˈɛkːɪ]	ah-rahm-pee-kahr-see soo-wlhee speh-kee	To climb on mirrors	To try to prove that black is white
Saltare di palo in frasca	[saltˈare dˈi pˈalo ˈiːn frˈaska]	sahl-tah-reh dee pah-loh een phrah-skah	To jump from pole to branch	To hop from one subject to another
Avere la coda di paglia	[avˈere lˈa kˈoda dˈi pˈaʎa]	ah-veh-reh lah ko-dah dee pah-wlhee-ah	To have the tail of straw	To have something to hide
Prendere qualcuno a pesci in faccia	[prˈɛndere kwalkˈuno ˈaː pˈeʃɪ ˈiːn fˈat͡ʃːa]	prehn-deh-reh koo-ahl-koo-noh ah peh-shee een fah-cha	To slap someone in the face with a fish	To treat somebody like dirt, to mistreat
Essere a cavallo	[ˈɛs͡sere ˈaː kavˈallo]	eh-seh-reh ah kah-vah-loh	To ride on a horseback	To have a good chance to obtain good results
Far ridere i polli	[fˈar rˈidere ˈi pˈollɪ]	fahr ree-deh-reh ee poh-lee	To make chickens laugh	To be utterly ridiculous
Cascarci come una pera cotta	[kaskˈart͡ʃɪ kˈome ˈuna pˈɛra kˈɔtːa]	kahs-kahr-chee koh-meh uh-nah peh-rah koht-tah	To fall like a cooked pear	To be easily fooled
Sputare il rospo	[spʊtˈare ˈiːl rˈɔspo]	spoo-tah-reh eel roh-spoh	To spit the toad	To get something off one’s chest
Tagliare la corda	[taʎˈare lˈa kˈɔrda]	tah-wlhee-ah-reh lah kohr-dah	To cut the rope	To sneak away
Sbarcare il lunario	[zbarkˈare ˈiːl lʊnˈario]	sbahr-kah-reh eel loo-nah-ree-oh	To unboat the moonriver	To get by financially
Far venire il latte alle ginocchia	[fˈar venˈire ˈiːl lˈatːe ˈalle d͡ʒinˈokːia]	fahr veh-nee-reh eel lah-teh ah-leh jee-noh-kee-ah	To make milk come to the knees	To be extremely boring
Avere le braccine corte	[avˈere lˈe brˈat͡ʃːine kˈorte]	ah-veh-reh leh brah-chee-neh kohr-teh	To have short arms	To be stingy
Avere una cotta	[avˈere ˈuna kˈɔtːa]	ah-veh-reh uh-nah koht-tah	To have a cooked	To have a crush on someone
Stare con le mani in mano	[stˈare kˈon lˈe mˈanɪ ˈiːn mˈano]	stah-reh kohn leh mah-nee een mah-noh	To stay with your hands in your hand	To be idle

Other cool Italian words

Do you want to really sound like a native Italian speaker? If so, it’s time for you to learn cool Italian words and phrases. If you’re looking for something more colloquial, expand your vocabulary with the following Italian slang words.

But for now, let’s see which of these expressions you already know, and which ones are new to you.

Italian	English	IPA	Pronunciation
Figo	Cool	[fˈiɡo]	phee-goh
Figata!	Sweet!	[fiɡˈata]	phee-gah-tah
Spessore!	Sweet!	[spes͡sˈore]	speh-soh-reh
Fantastico!	Epic!	[fantˈastiko]	phan-tah-stee-koh
Forte!	Cool!	[fˈɔrte]	phor-teh
Adoro!	Love it!	[adˈɔro]	ah-doh-roh
Evvai!	Hurray!	[evvˈaj]	eh-vahy
Togo!	Cool!	[tˈɔɡo]	toh-goh
Ganzo!	Cool!	[ɡˈand͡zo]	gahn-soh
Bella lì!	Sweet!	[bˈɛlla lˈi]	beh-lah lee
Bella storia!	Way to go!	[bˈɛlla stˈɔria]	beh-lah stoh-ree-ah
Da urlo	Epic	[dˈa ˈurlo]	dah oor-loh
Mitico	Cool, mind-blowing	[mˈitiko]	mee-tee-koh

English words that are actually Italian

It’s no secret that the Italian language has enriched English. There are many, many English words that are actually Italian. Here are some of the most common ones. Note that, in some cases, there may be some differences in spelling and pronunciation.

Italian	English	IPA	Pronunciation
Stiletto	Stiletto	[stilˈetːo]	stee-leh-toh
Barista	Barista, server in a coffee shop	[barˈista]	bah-ree-stah
Villa	Villa	[vˈilla]	veel-lah
Belvedere	Belvedere	[belvedˈere]	behl-veh-deh-reh
Veranda	Verandah	[verˈanda]	veh-rahn-dah
Riviera	Riviera	[riviˈɛra]	ree-vee-eh-rah
Gelato	Gelato	[d͡ʒelˈato]	jeh-lah-toh
Opera	Opera	[ˈopera]	oh-peh-rah
Piano	Piano	[pjˈano]	pee-ah-noh
Loggia	Loggia	[lˈɔd͡ʒːa]	loh-jah
Propaganda	Propaganda	[propaɡˈanda]	proh-pah-gahn-dah
Manifesto	Manifesto	[manifˈɛsto]	mah-nee-pheh-stoh
Arcipelago	Archipelago	[art͡ʃipˈɛlaɡo]	ahr-chee-peh-lah-goh
Laguna	Lagoon	[laɡˈuna]	lah-goo-nah
Grotta	Grotto	[ɡrˈɔtːa]	groht-tah
Panorama	Panorama	[panorˈama]	pah-noh-rah-mah
Bravo	Bravo	[brˈavo]	brah-voh
Scenario	Scenario	[ʃeˈnarjo]	sheh-nah-ree-oh
Cupola	Cupola	[kˈupola]	koo-poh-lah
Pistacchio	Pistachio	[pistˈakːio]	pee-stahk-kee-oh
Al fresco	Al fresco, outside	[ˈal frˈesko]	ahl phreh-skoh
Ballerina	Ballerina, female ballet dancer	[ballerˈina]	bahl-leh-ree-nah
Diva	Diva	[dˈiva]	dee-vah
Falsetto	Falsetto	[falsˈetːo]	phal-seht-toh
Cappuccino	Cappuccino, Italian coffee beverage	[kapːʊt͡ʃːˈino]	kahp-poo-chee-noh
A cappella	A cappella	[ˈaː kapːˈɛlla]	ah kap-pehl-lah
Maestro	Maestro, Master	[maˈɛstro]	mah-eh-stroh
Organza	Organza, sheer silk fabric	[orɡˈant͡sa]	ohr-gahn-tsah
Dilemma	Dilemma	[dilˈɛmma]	dee-lehm-mah
Lido	Lido	[lˈido]	lee-doh
Vista	Vista, view	[vˈista]	vee-stah
Motto	Motto	[mˈɔtːo]	moht-toh
Lava	Lava	[lˈava]	lah-vah
Paparazzo	Paparazzi, press photographer	[papaɾˈat͡sːo]	pah-pah-rah-tsoh
Ghetto	Ghetto	[ɡˈetːo]	ghet-toh
Marina	Marina, port for small boats	[marˈina]	mah-ree-nah

And even more unique Italian words with no exact English equivalents

Below is a list of unique Italian words, phrases and expressions, most of which don’t have a direct match in English. Prepare for some really interesting ones.

Italian	IPA	Pronunciation	Literal Meaning	Actual Meaning
Ammazzacaffè	[ammat͡sːakaffˈɛ]	ah-mah-tsah-kah-feh	Coffee killer	A small glass of liqueur usually consumed after coffee
Pantofolaio	[pantofolˈaio]	pahn-toh-pho-lahee-oh	Maker/seller of slippers	Someone who loves sitting around all day
Caschetto	[kaskˈetːo]	kah-skeht-toh	Little helmet	Bob haircut
Abbiocco	[abːjˈɔkːo]	ah-bee-oh-koh	Food coma	The drowsiness that follows eating a full Italian meal
Mamma mia!	[mˈamma mˈia]	mah-mah mee-ah	My mom!	My goodness!
Menefreghista	[menefreɡˈista]	meh-neh-phreh-ghee-stah	I-don’t-care-ist	Someone who is indifferent, apathetic, and just doesn’t care
Menefreghismo	[menefreɡˈizmo]	meh-neh-phreh-ghees-moh	I-don't-give-a-damn-ism	Couldn’t-care-less attitude
Apericena	[aperit͡ʃˈɛna]	ah-pehr-ee-che-nah	Aperitif + buffet-like, finger-food meal	Pre-dinner drinks accompanied by food
Gattara	[ɡatːˈaɾa]	gaht-tah-rah	Cat lady	An (elderly) lady that cares for stray cats
Inchiodare	[inkjodˈare]	een-kee-oh-dah-reh	To nail	To slam on the brakes
Beccare	[bekːˈare]	behk-kah-reh	To peck	To catch, to surprise
Stirare	[stirˈare]	stee-rah-reh	To iron	To run over with a car
Fare la scarpetta	[fˈare lˈa skarpˈetːa]	fah-reh lah skahr-peht-tah	To make cleat	To mop up your plate with bread
Culaccino	[kʊlat͡ʃːˈino]	koo-lah-chee-noh	The round mark left on the table by an ice-filled, wet glass or a hot cup	The annoying ring left on a wooden surface by a glass or cup
Fare una filippica	[fˈare ˈuna filˈipːika]	fah-reh uh-nah phee-leep-pee-kah	To make a philippic	To launch into a tirade
Boh!	[bˈo]	boh	No clue!	I don’t know. Who knows?

Parole, parole, parole…

Did you know that there’s an Italian song called “Parole, parole” (Words, words)? Released in 1972, it’s a duet song performed by Italian singer Mina, one of the most prominent icons of Italian music, and veteran actor Alberto Lupo, best known to American audiences as Dr. Levin in the 1960 Italian horror film Atom Age Vampire.

Listen to this intriguing dialogue of Mina’s singing and Lupo’s deep and seductive voice, and read the lyrics and English translation.

I personally prefer the version that came out in 2010. It’s a very intense duet between Mina and Italian singer-songwriter Niccolò Fabi, who created a completely revised version of one of the most famous songs in the history of Italian music.

What makes things even more moving and touching is that this version was dedicated to Fabi’s prematurely deceased 2-year-old daughter, Olivia, who had a special liking for this great Italian masterpiece. It’s so heartwarming and profound I can’t believe anyone not liking it. That cello gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it.

There you go!

Good job! You’ve just learned a whole load of new stuff. With some practice, all these beautiful Italian sayings, phrases, words and expressions will begin to come naturally, I give you my word of honor!

The more Italian you read, listen and speak, the more it’ll become a part of you! Enjoy this post? Then don’t forget to check out our Italian blog for more articles like this! Till next time!