The letter z has two pronunciations in Italian. It can be pronounced as a voiced or voiceless alveolar affricate. Here are examples with the two pronunciations:
voiced alveolar affricate [dz]
pranzo (lunch)
romanzo (novel)
zanzara (mosquito)
zebra (zebra)
zero (zero)
voiceless alveolar affricate [ts]
dizionario (dictionary)
grazie (thanks)
marzo (March)
negozio (business)
zucchero (sugar)
No universal rule can be given for the pronunciation of z in Italian. In fact, regional pronunciation can vary from the standard. The word zio (uncle) is pronounced with a voiceless affricate in standard Italian, but can be pronounced with a voiced one in regional dialects. However, the voiceless alveolar affricate is more common than the voiced.
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