Italian vs. Spanish: What's the best language to learn? A guide

Looking to pick up a new language but unsure if you should study Spanish or Italian? This complete guide will cover everything you need to know before you enroll in your first class.

Signing up for Spanish classes or Italian classes can seem daunting at first, especially if you don’t know much about the two. While they may sound almost identical to the untrained ear, the relationship between the two languages is somewhat complicated. Although there is some level of mutual intelligibility — that is, the ability of Spanish speakers to understand Italian speakers and vice versa — they are entirely different languages with many differences.

If you’re wondering just how similar they are, either because you already speak one and are thinking of learning the other or because you’re trying to decide which one to learn, this guide will cover everything you need to know. We’ll go into all the similarities, differences, and things to look out for (like false friends!) between these two languages.

¡Vámonos! Or, should I say, Andiamo!

Table of contents

• Is Italian similar to Spanish?
• What are the main differences between Italian and Spanish?
• Which language is easier to learn, Italian or Spanish?
• Which language will be more useful to learn?
• Italian vs. Spanish in practice
• Italian vs. Spanish: Which one should you learn?

Is Italian similar to Spanish?

Italian and Spanish are remarkably similar languages, in part because they are both Romance languages. And no, that’s not to say that they are both very romantic (although they are!) but rather because they both come from Roman times. As the Roman Empire expanded throughout Europe, Romans who spoke Vulgar Latin settled into different regions. These settlements slowly developed their own dialects, which eventually became the Romance languages we know today, like Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese.

According to Ethnologue, one of the most respected reference publications about languages in the world, Italian and Spanish have a lexicon similarity coefficient of .82. That means that 82% of the vocabulary of Italian and Spanish is mutually intelligible, so speakers of either language would be able to understand more than 4 out of every 5 words. That’s remarkably similar, considering that native speakers of either language can start with a massive advantage compared to a non-speaker.

Here are some other specific similarities between Italian and Spanish:

Alphabet

Both Italian and Spanish use modified versions of the Latin alphabet, much like English. That’s good news if you’re a native English speaker, as you won’t have to learn a whole new alphabet or writing system when learning either language. However, each language has some unique features in its alphabet.

The Italian alphabet only has 21 letters — 16 consonants and 5 vowels. The missing letters are j, k, w, x, y, and z, so you won’t find these letters anywhere except for foreign words. The Spanish alphabet, on the other hand, has an extra letter that you should be aware of. Namely, the letter Ñ/ñ (eh-nyeh) is added to the alphabet, resulting in 27 letters including 22 consonants and 5 vowels. The alphabet used to be even longer before, when the digraphs Ch/ch and Ll/ll were considered letters, but the Real Academia Española has since revoked their standing as true letters.

Conjugation rules

Both Italian and Spanish have an extensive conjugation system, so you’ll have to modify the verb depending on the person who is doing the action. This is similar to English conjugations, where the verb is modified according to the person. For example, I say something, but she says something else. The difference is that English conjugations are usually just minor variations of the word, while conjugations in Spanish and Italian tend to involve more extensive changes.

Both Spanish and Italian have two types of verb conjugations: regular and irregular. An overwhelming majority of verbs fall into the regular category, making it easy to know how to conjugate the verbs. For these kinds of verbs, all you have to do is keep the verb stem and replace the ending corresponding to the verb tense and pronoun. Fortunately, both Italian pronouns and Spanish pronouns are very similar, which also means that conjugating verbs is very similar.

Let’s take a look at the respective verbs for “to eat,” which is mangiare in Italian and comer in Spanish. They’re both regular verbs and we’ll conjugate them in the present indicative tense so you can see how they compare. We’ve bolded the verb stem in each case so you can see the part of the verb that changes.

English	Italian pronoun	Conjugated verb	Spanish pronoun	Conjugated verb
I eat	Io	mangio	Yo	Como
You eat	Tu	mangi	Tú	Comes
He/she eats	Lui/Lei	mangia	Él/ella	Come
We eat	Noi	mangiamo	Nosotros	Comemos
You eat	Voi	mangiate	Ustedes	Comen
They eat	Loro	mangiano	Ellos/ellas	Comen

As you can see, regular verb conjugations follow a very methodical process: you take the verb stem and add the corresponding ending according to the verb tense and pronoun. However, this all goes out the window when dealing with either Spanish or Italian irregular verbs. For example, let’s compare the verb “to be” in Italian and Spanish. The conjugation of the verb essere in Italian is irregular, as is the conjugation of the verb ser in Spanish. With both Italian and Spanish irregular verbs, the verb stem doesn’t remain unchanged, and the endings may or may not be similar to regular verb endings. Let’s take a look:

English	Italian pronoun	Italian conjugation	Spanish pronoun	Spanish conjugation
I am	Io	sono	Yo	soy
You are	Tu	sei	Tú	eres
He/she is	Lui/Lei	è	Él/ella	es
We are	Noi	siamo	Nosotros	somos
You are	Voi	siete	Ustedes	son
They are	Loro	sono	Ellos/ellas	son

Verb tenses

Both Italian and Spanish have quite a few verb tenses. Italian has 7 modes and 21 verb tenses, while Spanish has 4 modes and 23 verb tenses. For reference, English only has 12 verb tenses, which makes both of these languages much more tense-friendly.

If this information is making you tense up, don’t worry about it too much (yet). While learning how to use verb tenses can be intimidating at first, you’ll be able to describe events with much more precision thanks to all these extra verb tenses. Want to see how? Check out this extensive guide to conjugating the verb decir in all tenses to see how verb tenses are actually your friend!

Pronunciation

The phonemes and graphemes coincide in both Italian and Spanish, which means that words are read exactly as they are written. English, on the other hand, is an irregular language, so letters aren’t always read the same way. Take the words “call” and “cat,” for example. Looking at the IPA spelling, we can see that the “a” isn’t pronounced the same way in both words: ˈkɔl for call and ˈkæt for cat. You won’t have to worry about this with Spanish or Italian, as the pronunciation of letters stays the same across words.

Null-subject language

Italian and Spanish are both null-subject languages, meaning that you can often omit the subject as long as the verb is conjugated correctly. As you now know, both Italian and Spanish conjugate verbs differently depending on the person doing the action. That means that specifying the subject often becomes irrelevant, as you’ll be able to tell who is doing the action based on the verb conjugation.

What are the main differences between Italian and Spanish?

They say a language is a dialect with an army and a navy, but that’s not necessarily true for Spanish and Italian. Although they do have many similarities, they are nowhere near close to being the same language, so you’ll have to keep an eye out for the following differences:

Historical differences

Both Spanish and Italian developed from Vulgar Latin after the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century. Since the Romans inhabited both present-day Spain and present-day Italian, both languages started off with the same base. However, as the lines of communication disappeared after the end of the Roman Times, both languages developed independently.

Italian as we know it today started to appear after the 7th century. The first recorded evidence of Italian was the Placiti Cassinesi, which was written in the 10th century. Soon thereafter, many of the most famous Italian classics started to appear, including Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, a 14th-century classic that remains one of the most popular books around the world.

Things were institutionalized in the 16th century when the Accademia della Crusca was founded in 1583. Also known as La Crusca, this was the world’s first language authority. It was set up by a group of academics in Florence as a way to standardize the language. The first dictionary in Italian, the Vocabolario degli Accademici della Crusca, was published in 1614 and the rest is history.

Spanish developed in a very similar pattern with one key interruption: the Moor invasion. If you’re familiar with Iberian history, then you might already know that the Iberian Peninsula was under total or partial Muslim control between the 8th and 15th centuries. This resulted in the adoption of thousands of words from Arabic into Spanish. In fact, virtually all Spanish words that begin with “al” come from Arabic, like almohada, alambre, and more.

Although Spain was fully reconquered by the Kingdom of Castile by the 15th century, this period of Muslim occupation made a longstanding impact on Spanish. Italian didn’t experience a similar period of external influence, so it doesn’t have nearly as many words of Arabic origin as Spanish.

Grammatical differences

Spanish and Italian have many different grammar rules. For example, Spanish, like English, doesn’t use articles for possessives. So, you’d say “I am in my car,” which is “Estoy en mi carro” in Spanish. Italian, however, does use articles for possessives, so you’d say “Sono nella mia macchina,” which is like saying “I am in the my car” in English. That extra “the” in there is something that Italian grammar requires, but Spanish doesn’t.

Pronunciation differences

As mentioned earlier, both Spanish and Italian have very similar pronunciation rules: everything is pronounced exactly as it is written. However, there are a few pronunciation rule differences to keep track of.

Let’s take a look at the “soft c” sound, which occurs when a c is followed by an i or an e. In Italian, the soft c is pronounced as a ch, whereas the soft c is pronounced as a th in Iberian Spanish and an s in Latin American Spanish. Similarly, a soft g is pronounced as a j in Italian, but as an x/h in Spanish. You’ll have to keep track of these differences in pronunciation if you’re thinking about learning both languages.

Which language is easier to learn, Italian or Spanish?

Let’s be real, learning a new language from scratch will always be a challenge that requires commitment and dedication. However, some languages are easier to learn than others, so you might want to be strategic about which language to choose. Luckily for you, both Spanish and Italian are ranked among the easiest languages for English speakers to learn, making it a toss-up between the two.

According to the U.S. Foreign Service Institute, both Italian and Spanish are ranked in the lowest difficulty category for native English speakers. If taking full-time courses, you can expect to attain fluency in either of these languages in approximately 24 weeks.

With that said, learning one over the other may be easier for you depending on your personal circumstances. If you have any friends or family who speak one of the two languages, you may be able to practice with them and become fluent faster. Similarly, you may be able to take advantage of any local speakers in your area, as you may be able to visit a Mexican supermarket or an Italian deli to practice your new skills.

Which language will be more useful to learn?

Learning a new language can be an incredibly rewarding skill, not just as a way to enrich your personality but also as a way to make yourself more marketable to employers. Being able to speak a new language will allow you to communicate with more customers, vendors, and clients, which will make you eligible for more jobs and even negotiate higher pay. Fortunately, both Spanish and Italian are considered some of the best languages to learn for business, whether you’re looking for a new job or to strike new deals with international clients.

Italian is spoken by over 60 million people around the world, most of which are, of course, in Italy. However, there are also significant Italian-speaking populations in places like Switzerland, Malta, Croatia, Slovenia, Argentina, and the United States. Italy is also the second-largest manufacturing economy in Europe, making this an invaluable business tool for those looking to go into luxury goods or the fashion industry.

Spanish, on the other hand, is the fourth most-spoken language in the world, with well over half a billion speakers. There are 21 Spanish-speaking countries that span four continents, making this a truly global language. If you live in the United States, it’s also worth considering that there are over 40 million Spanish speakers in the country, making it the country with the second-largest Spanish-speaking population. That means you’ll be able to use Spanish at home without having to fly to a foreign country!

Italian vs. Spanish in practice

Now that you’re aware of the broad similarities and differences between Spanish and Italian, you’re probably looking for some concrete examples of what they actually look like. Below, we’ll cover over a hundred words in Spanish and Italian to see how they compare.

Similarities between Italian and Spanish

Noun cognates

First, let’s start with noun cognates. These are nouns that have the same origin and thus sound very similar or even identical. We’ve included 50+ Spanish and Italian noun cognates to give you a solid idea of how similar they are. We’re also including the IPA spelling for all words since the spelling can sometimes make it seem like they don’t sound too similar when they actually do.

English	Spanish	Spanish IPA	Italian	Italian IPA
Port	El puerto	el ˈpweɾto	Il porto	il ˈpɔrto
Book	El libro	el ˈliβɾo	Il libro	il ˈlibro
Bank	El banco	el ˈβanko	La banca	la ˈbanka
Music	La música	la ˈmusika	La musica	la ˈmuzika
Art	El arte	el ˈaɾte	L’arte	lˈarte
House	La casa	la ˈkasa	La casa	la ˈkaza
Telephone	El teléfono	el teˈlefono	Il telefono	il teˈlɛfono
Supermarket	El supermercado	el supeɾmeɾˈkaðo	Il supermarcato	il supermarkato
Coffee	El café	el kaˈfe	Il caffè	il kafˈfɛ
Library	La biblioteca	la βiβljoˈteka	La biblioteca	la bibljoˈtɛka
Disgrace	La desgracia	la ðezˈɣɾaθja	La disgrazia	la diˈzɡrattsja
Action	La acción	la akˈθjon	L'azione	latˈtsjone
Announcement	El anuncio	el aˈnunθjo	L'annunzio	lanˈnuntsjo
Response	La respuesta	la resˈpwesta	La risposta	la risˈposta
Sack	El saco	el ˈsako	Il sacco	il ˈsakko
Battle	La batalla	la βaˈtaʎa	La battaglia	la batˈtaʎʎa
Beuaty	La belleza	la βeˈʎeθa	La bellezza	la belˈlettsa
Beeginning	El principio	el pɾinˈθipjo	Il principio	il prinˈtʃipjo
Bottom	El fondo	el ˈfondo	Il fondo	il ˈfondo
Circle	El círculo	el ˈθiɾkulo	Il circolo	il ˈtʃirkolo
Color	El color	el koˈloɾ	Il colore	il koˈlore
Company	La compañía	la kompaˈɲia	La compagnia	la kompaɲˈɲia
Contest	El concurso	el konˈkuɾso	Il concorso	il konˈkorso
Commitment	El compromiso	el kompɾoˈmiso	Il compromesso	il komproˈmesso
End	El fin	el ˈfin	La fine	la ˈfine
Contact	El contacto	el konˈtakto	Il contatto	il konˈtatto
Cube	El cubo	el ˈkuβo	Il cubo	il ˈkubo
Death	La muerte	la ˈmweɾte	La morte	la ˈmɔrte
Dream	El sueño	el ˈsweɲo	Il sogno	il ˈsoɲɲo
Business	La empresa	la emˈpɾesa	L'impresa	limˈpreza
Entrance	La entrada	la enˈtɾaða	L'entrata	lenˈtrata
Force	La fuerza	la ˈfweɾθa	La forza	la ˈfɔrtsa
Government	El gobierno	el ɣoˈβjeɾno	Il governo	il ɡoˈvɛrno
Heat	El calor	el kaˈloɾ	Il calore	ilkaˈlore
Hope	La esperanza	la espeˈɾanθa	La speranza	la speˈrantsa
Tongue	La lengua	la ˈlenɡwa	La lingua	la ˈlinɡwa
Language	El lenguaje	el lenˈɡwaxe	Il linguaggio	il linˈɡwaddʒo
Life	La vida	la ˈβiða	La vita	la ˈvita
Love	El amor	el aˈmoɾ	L'amore	laˈmore
Machine	La máquina	la ˈmakina	La macchina	la ˈmakkina
Number	El número	el ˈnumeɾo	Il numero	il ˈnumero
Person	La persona	la peɾˈsona	La persona	la perˈsona
Plant	La planta	la ˈplanta	La pianta	la ˈpjanta
Politics	La política	la poˈlitika	La politica	la poˈlitika
Remedy	El remedio	el reˈmeðjo	Il remedio	il reˈmɛdjo
Thanks	Las gracias	laz ˈɣɾaθjas	Le grazie	ˈle ˈɡrattsje
Thing	La cosa	la ˈkosa	La cosa	la ˈkɔza
Truth	La verdad	la βeɾˈðað	La verità	la veriˈta
Value	El valor	el βaˈloɾ	Il valore	il vaˈlore
War	La guerra	la ˈɣera	La guerra	la ˈɡwɛrra
Wealth	La riqueza	la riˈkeθa	La ricchezza	la rikˈkettsa
Weight	El peso	el ˈpeso	Il peso	il ˈpezo
World	El mundo	el ˈmundo	Il mondo	il ˈmondo
Word	La palabra	la paˈlaβɾa	La parola	la paˈrɔla

Verb cognates

Like noun cognates, verb cognates are action words that sound very similar. Here are 50+ Italian and Spanish verb cognates:

English	Spanish	Spanish IPA	Italian	Italian IPA
To be able to	Poder	poˈðeɾ	Potere	poˈtere
To accept	Aceptar	aθepˈtaɾ	Accettare	attʃetˈtare
To accompany	Acompañar	akompaˈɲaɾ	Accompagnare	akkompaɲˈɲare
To admire	Admirar	aðmiˈɾaɾ	Ammirare	ammiˈrare
To announce	Anunciar	anunˈθjaɾ	Annunziare	annunˈtsjare
To enjoy oneself	Divertir	diβeɾˈtiɾ	Divertire	diverˈtire
To allow to	Permitir	peɾmiˈtiɾ	Permettere	perˈmettere
To put together	Armar	aɾˈmaɾ	Armare	arˈmare
To arrest	Arrestar	aresˈtaɾ	Arrestare	arresˈtare
To attack	Atacar	ataˈkaɾ	Attaccare	attakˈkare
To avoid	Evitar	eβiˈtaɾ	Evitare	eviˈtare
To shower	Bañarse	baˈɲaɾse	Bagnarsi	baɲˈɲarsi
To bite	Morder	moɾˈðeɾ	Mordere	ˈmɔrdere
To be born	Nacer	naˈθeɾ	Nascere	ˈnaʃʃere
To brake	Frenar	fɾeˈnaɾ	Frenare	freˈnare
To break	Romper	romˈpeɾ	Rompere	ˈrompere
To breath	Respirar	respiˈɾaɾ	Respirare	respiˈrare
To build	Construir	kosˈtɾwiɾ	Costruire	kostruˈire
To buy	Comprar	komˈpɾaɾ	Comprare	komˈprare
To cause	Causar	kawˈsaɾ	Causare	kau̯ˈzare
To celebrate	Celebrar	θeleˈβɾaɾ	Celebrare	tʃeleˈbrare
To change	Cambiar	kamˈbjaɾ	Cambiare	kamˈbjare
To chew	Masticar	mastiˈkaɾ	Masticare	mastiˈkare
To come	Venir	beˈniɾ	Venire	veˈnire
To continue	Continuar	kontiˈnwaɾ	Continuare	kontinuˈare
To cook	Cocinar	koθiˈnaɾ	Cucinare	kutʃiˈnare
To cost	Costar	kosˈtaɾ	Costare	kosˈtare
To criticize	Criticar	kɾitiˈkaɾ	Criticare	kritiˈkare
To dream	Soñar	soˈɲaɾ	Sognare	soɲˈɲare
To dress	Vestir	besˈtiɾ	Vestire	vesˈtire
To come into	Entrar en	enˈtɾaɾ en	Entrare in	enˈtrare in
To envy	Envidiar	embiˈðjaɾ	Invidiare	inviˈdjare
To feed	Alimentar	alimenˈtaɾ	Alimentare	alimenˈtare
To feel	Sentirse	senˈtiɾse	Sentirsi	senˈtirsi
To fly	Volar	boˈlaɾ	Volare	voˈlare
To follow	Seguir	seˈɣiɾ	Seguire	seˈɡwire
To forgive	Perdonar	peɾðoˈnaɾ	Perdonare	perdoˈnare
To give	Dar	ˈdaɾ	Dare	ˈdare
To greet	Saludar	saluˈðaɾ	Salutare	saluˈtare
To hate	Odiar	oˈðjaɾ	Odiare	oˈdjare
To jump	Saltar	salˈtaɾ	Saltare	salˈtare
To keep	Guardar	ɡwaɾˈðaɾ	Guardare	ɡwarˈdare
To love	Amar	aˈmaɾ	Amare	aˈmare
To live	Vivir	biˈβiɾ	Vivere	ˈvivere
To lose	Perder	peɾˈðeɾ	Perdere	ˈpɛrdere
To mention	Mencionar	menθjoˈnaɾ	Menzionare	mentsjoˈnare
To move	Mover	moˈβeɾ	Movere	ˈmɔvere
To forgive	Perdonar	peɾðoˈnaɾ	Perdonare	perdoˈnare
To pay	Pagar	paˈɣaɾ	Pagare	paˈɡare
To prepare	Preparar	pɾepaˈɾaɾ	Preparare	prepaˈrare
To pronounce	Pronunciar	pɾonunˈθjaɾ	Pronunziare	pronuntsjare
To protect	Proteger	pɾoteˈxeɾ	Proteggere	proˈtɛddʒere
To respond	Responder	responˈdeɾ	Rispondere	risˈpondere
To reserve	Reservar	reseɾˈβaɾ	Riservare	rizerˈvare
To run	Correr	koˈreɾ	Correre	ˈkorrere
To sell	Vender	benˈdeɾ	Vendere	ˈvendere
To show	Mostrar	mosˈtɾaɾ	Mostrare	mosˈtrare
To mean	Significar	siɣnifiˈkaɾ	Significare	siɲɲifiˈkare
To sing	Cantar	kanˈtaɾ	Cantare	kanˈtare
To sleep	Dormir	doɾˈmiɾ	Dormire	dorˈmire
To resolve	Resolver	resolˈβeɾ	Risolvere	riˈzɔlvere
To think	Pensar	penˈsaɾ	Pensare	penˈsare
To visit	Visitar	bisiˈtaɾ	Visitare	viziˈtare
To wash	Lavar	laˈβaɾ	Lavare	laˈvare
To change	Caminar	kamiˈnaɾ8	Camminare	kammiˈnare

Differences between Italian and Spanish

As you already know, Italian and Spanish are very similar. However, that doesn’t mean that all words are the same. There are many words that are completely different in both languages, so you won’t be able to fully understand both languages just by learning one. Below, we’ll go over some of the most common vocabulary words that are different in Spanish and Italian.

Words that are completely different

After covering 100+ words that are almost identical in Spanish and Italian, you might be surprised to hear that there are words that not only aren’t identical but are actually quite different. Here are 35 examples of words that sound nothing alike in Spanish and Italian:

English	Spanish	Spanish IPA	Italian	Italian IPA
Pillow	La almohada	la almoˈaða	Il cuscino	il kuʃˈʃino
Bed	La cama	la ˈkama	Il letto	il ˈlɛtto
Tablecloth	El mantel	el manˈtel	La tovaglia	la toˈvaʎʎa
Apple	La manzana	la manˈθana	La mela	la ˈmela
Cucumber	El pepino	el peˈpino	Il cetriolo	il tʃetriˈɔlo
Pepper	La pimienta	la piˈmjenta	Il peppe	il peppe
Living room	La sala	la ˈsala	Il soggiorno	il sodˈdʒorno
Watermelon	La sandía	la sanˈdia	L’auguria	lau̯ˈɡurja
Fork	El tenedor	el teneˈðoɾ	La forchetta	la forˈketta
Tomato	El tomate	el toˈmate	Il pomodoro	il pomoˈdɔro
Cup	El vaso	el ˈβaso	Il bicchiere	il bikˈkjɛre
Apology	La disculpa	la ðisˈkulpa	La scusa	la ˈskuza
Ball	La bola	la ˈβola	La palla	la ˈpalla
Cleanliness	La limpieza	la limˈpjeθa	La pulizia	la pulitˈtsia
Trust	La confianza	la komˈfjanθa	La fiducia	la fiˈdutʃa
Develpment	El desarrollo	el desaˈroʎo	Lo sviluppo	ˈlo zviˈluppo
Discovery	El descubrimiento	el deskuβɾiˈmjento	La scoperta	la skoˈpɛrta
Equality	La igualdad	la jɣwalˈdað	L'uguaglianza	luɡwaʎˈʎantsa
Expenses	Los gastos	loz ˈɣastos	Le spese	ˈle ˈspeze
Food	El alimento	el aliˈmento	Il cibo	il ˈtʃibo
Future	El futuro	el fuˈtuɾo	L'avvenire	lavveˈnire
To give advice	Aconsejar	akonseˈxaɾ	Consigliare	konsiʎˈʎare
To arrive	Llegar	ʎeˈɣaɾ	Arrivare	arriˈvare
To ask for	Pedir	peˈðiɾ	Chiedere	ˈkjɛdere
To be amazed by	Asombrarse	asomˈbɾaɾse	Stupirsi	stuˈpirsi
To ask	Preguntar	pɾeɣunˈtaɾ	Domandare	domanˈdare
To hit	Golpear	ɡolpeˈaɾ	Battere	ˈbattere
To become	Hacerse	aˈθeɾse	Divenire	diveˈnire
To brush	Cepillar	θepiˈʎaɾ	Spazzolare	spattsoˈlare
To close	Cerrar	θeˈraɾ	Chiudere	ˈkjudere
To complain	Quejarse	keˈxaɾse	Lagnarsi	laɲˈɲarsi
To do	Hacer	aˈθeɾ	Fare	ˈfare
To finish	Acabar	akaˈβaɾ	Finire	fiˈnire
To find	Encontrar	enkonˈtɾaɾ	Trovare	troˈvare
To eat	Comer	koˈmeɾ	Mangiare	manˈdʒare

False cognates

Just as there are hundreds of cognates in Spanish and Italian, there are also many false cognates. Also known as “false friends,” these are words that sound like something in one language but mean something completely different in another. For example, “burro” means butter in Italian (yum!), but “burro” means donkey in Spanish (yuck!). Don’t make a silly mistake by confusing some of these fake friends!

Spanish	IPA	Spanish meaning	Italian	IPA	Italian meaning
Barato	baˈɾato	Cheap	Barato	baˈrato	Cheated
Burro	ˈburo	Donkey	Burro	ˈburro	Butter
Guardar	ɡwaɾˈðaɾ	To keep	Guardare	ɡwarˈdare	To look at
Oficina	ofiˈθina	Office	Oficina	ofitʃina	Workshop
Salir	saˈliɾ	To go out	Salire	saˈlire	To go up
Parar	paˈɾaɾ	To stop	Parare	paˈrare	To adorn
Pesca	ˈpeska	Fishing	Pesca	ˈpeska	Peach
Pronto	ˈpɾonto	Soon	Pronto	ˈpronto	Ready
Sembrar	semˈbɾaɾ	To sow	Sembrare	semˈbrare	To seem
Subir	suˈβiɾ	To go up	Subire	suˈbire	To endure
Tener	teˈneɾ	To have	Tenere	teˈnere	To hold
Topo	ˈtopo	Mole	Topo	ˈtɔpo	Mouse
Aceite	aˈθejte	Oil	Aceto	aˈtʃeto	Vinegar
Caldo	ˈkaldo	Broth	Caldo	ˈkaldo	Hot
Caro	ˈkaɾo	Expensive	Caro	ˈkaro	Dear
Demandar	demanˈdaɾ	To sue	Domandare	domanˈdare	To ask
Prender	pɾenˈdeɾ	To light	Prendere	ˈprɛndere	To grab
Todavía	toðaˈβia	Still	Tuttavia	tuttaˈvia	Nevertheless
Voto	ˈboto	Vote	Vuoto	ˈvwɔto	Empty
Esposar	espoˈsaɾ	To handcuff	Sposare	spoˈzare	To marry
Argumento	aɾɣuˈmento	Argument	Argomento	arɡoˈmento	Topic
Largo	ˈlaɾɣo	Long	Largo	ˈlarɡo	Broad
Vaso	ˈbaso	Cup	Vaso	ˈvazo	Pot

Italian vs. Spanish: Which one should you learn?

Ultimately, both Italian and Spanish are wonderfully romantic and useful languages to learn. You should learn the language that appeals most to you, as being excited about the learning process will dramatically increase your chances of sticking to it through mastery.

If you’re looking for the most pragmatic choice, then learning Spanish is surely it. Not only are there almost 10 times as many speakers of Spanish but it’s also spoken across four continents and in almost two dozen countries.

However, the choice will be tied to your personal goals, motivation and drives, and at the end of the day, it’s just that – YOUR choice. If you’re driven by matters of the heart and have a stronger connection to all things Italy, then you do you!

Still unsure about which language to pick? Take a look at our Spanish blog and our Italian blog to keep learning about these beautiful languages. We cover all types of content, from how to wish someone a Merry Christmas in Spanish to writing an expert cover letter in Italian. Give our articles a look to see which one resonates with you more and, if you’re still undecided, don’t hesitate to take a few classes of each to see which one you like best!