Work in progress! Native speakers are still checking every phrase. Spot something off? Tell us.
cursing.in curse like a local

Italian · Exclamations

Accidenti!

aht-chee-DEN-tee · /at.tʃiˈdɛn.ti/

Darn! / Wow! / Good grief!

1/5 Grandma-safe

mild, playful; fine on daytime TV

Literally

"Accidents / mishaps"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

Polished and slightly old-fashioned, the exclamation your Italian teacher approves of. Works for surprise ("accidenti, che bello!") and frustration alike, and "accidenti a te" is a toothless "curse you." Zero risk of offending anyone.

Heard in the wild

Accidenti, non me l'aspettavo!

Wow, I didn't expect that!

Where it lands

Universal across Italy

Quick answers

What does "Accidenti!" mean?
In Italian, "Accidenti!" means "Darn! / Wow! / Good grief!". Literally it's "Accidents / mishaps". Polished and slightly old-fashioned, the exclamation your Italian teacher approves of. Works for surprise ("accidenti, che bello!") and frustration alike, and "accidenti a te" is a toothless "curse you." Zero risk of offending anyone.
Is "Accidenti!" offensive?
It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
How do you pronounce "Accidenti!"?
Say it "aht-chee-DEN-tee" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: at.tʃiˈdɛn.ti.

Related in Italian

Cazzo! KAHT-tso Fuck! / Damn! / The all-purpose Italian curse. Merda! MEHR-dah Shit! / Damn it! Porca miseria! POR-kah mee-ZEH-ryah Dammit! / For heaven's sake! Minchia! MEEN-kyah Holy shit! / Wow! / Damn! Cavolo! KAH-vo-lo Darn! / Shoot! / The clean stand-in for cazzo. Mamma mia! MAHM-mah MEE-ah Oh my! / Good heavens! / Wow!

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "Damn".

how to say "Damn" →

Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.