Italian grape variety

How to pronounce Primitivo

Primitivo is pronounced pree-mee-TEE-voh, written /primiˈtiːvo/ in the International Phonetic Alphabet. The stress falls on TEE.

pree-mee-TEE-voh

IPA /primiˈtiːvo/

What is Primitivo?

A black grape variety (genetically identical to Zinfandel) from Puglia producing fruity wines with high alcohol.

Tips for saying it

Often heard as prim-ih-TEE-voh.

Every i in Italian is a clear ee sound, never the short i of primitive: pree-mee-TEE-voh.

Often heard as pree-mee-TEE-foh.

In Italian the letter v is a voiced v as in German Wein, not an f: pree-mee-TEE-voh.

Related pronunciations

All Italian wine terms →

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