Spanish vs Italian: Which Is Easier, and How Similar Are They?

Key takeaways

• Spanish and Italian are in the same Foreign Service Institute difficulty group (Category I).
• A good share of their everyday vocabulary is shared: roughly 5 in 10 everyday words look alike, so many Spanish words will feel familiar if you know Italian, though plenty will not.
• Study time will not decide it, so start with the one you will actually use.

How hard is each one?

For an English speaker the two sit in the same difficulty group, so neither is officially easier: the Foreign Service Institute puts both at 552–690 class hours. These are the figures behind the how long does it take to learn a language calculator, from the US Foreign Service Institute's published language training times.

The hours are for a native English speaker in full-time classes aiming at professional working proficiency. Useful everyday conversation comes sooner, and the calculator breaks the time down by level.

How much do the words overlap?

A good share of their everyday vocabulary is shared: roughly 5 in 10 everyday words look alike, so many Spanish words will feel familiar if you know Italian, though plenty will not.

A few everyday words that look alike in Spanish and Italian:

And a few everyday words that look completely different:

Writing system and grammar

• Both use the Latin alphabet, so neither asks you to learn a new script, though each has its own spelling rules and special letters.

Which should you learn first?

Study time will not decide this one, because the two ask for about the same. If you want to reach a particular place, a person or a job, start with the one you will actually use: steady motivation counts for more than the difference in hours. Because they share so much, you do not need to pick one forever. Learning one first makes the other noticeably quicker, and the main risk is mixing the two up, so give the first a solid base before starting the second.

Frequently asked questions

Is Spanish easier than Italian?

For an English speaker the two sit in the same difficulty group, so neither is officially easier: the Foreign Service Institute puts both at 552–690 class hours. Hours are for a native English speaker reaching professional working proficiency in full-time classes; casual learning gets you to useful conversation well before that.

How similar are Spanish and Italian?

A good share of their everyday vocabulary is shared: roughly 5 in 10 everyday words look alike, so many Spanish words will feel familiar if you know Italian, though plenty will not. They are both Romance languages, both descended from Latin.

Should I learn Spanish or Italian first?

Study time will not decide this one, because the two ask for about the same. If you want to reach a particular place, a person or a job, start with the one you will actually use: steady motivation counts for more than the difference in hours. Because they share so much, you do not need to pick one forever. Learning one first makes the other noticeably quicker, and the main risk is mixing the two up, so give the first a solid base before starting the second.

Can speakers of Spanish and Italian understand each other?

Some can, to a degree, but it varies a lot from person to person and with practice. Written text is usually easier to follow than fast speech.

Keep going

• How long does it take to learn Spanish?
• Free Spanish vocabulary lists
• Spanish vocabulary test
• Spanish quiz
• How long does it take to learn Italian?
• Free Italian vocabulary lists
• Italian vocabulary test
• Italian quiz
• Why Spanish Feels Easy at First, Then Suddenly Isn't
• The Italian Words You Already Know (and Say Wrong)

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