Central Mediterranean vocabulary comparison

Vocabulary Comparison: Maltese, Sicilian and Italian

Compare everyday words across English, Maltese, Sicilian and Italian. Use the language pills, filter, table/cards view and 2-column mode to explore Mediterranean vocabulary links, borrowings and similarities.

? How to use this guide

Use the search box to find an English word or a form in Maltese, Sicilian or Italian. Then use the column chips or 2-column mode to focus on a specific pair.

MT What this page compares

This page compares key vocabulary in Maltese, Sicilian and Italian, with English as the reference column for meaning.

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English Maltese Sicilian Italian

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Aa Maltese, Sicilian and Italian vocabulary

English	Maltese	Sicilian	Italian
attraction	attrazzjoni	attrazzioni	attrazione
bridge	pont	ponti	ponte
butcher	biċċier	bucceri	macellaio
communication	komunikazzjoni	cumunicazzioni	comunicazione
destiny	xorti	sorti	destino
difficult	diffiċli	diffìcili	difficile
eagle	ajkla	àcula	aquila
easy	faċli	fàcili	facile
edition	edizzjoni	edizzioni	edizione
emotion	emozzjoni	emuzzioni	emozione
fresh	frisku	friscu	fresco
important	importanti	mpurtanti	importante
Italian	Taljan	talianu	italiano
key	ċavetta	ciavetta	chiavetta
king	re	re	re
kitchen	kċina	cucina	cucina
letter	ittra	littra	lettera
maybe	forsi	forsi	forse
nun	soru	soru	suora
official	uffiċjali	ufficiali	ufficiale
pleasure	pjaċir	piaciri	piacere
police	pulizija	pulizzìa	polizia
position	pożizzjoni	pusizzioni	posizione
saint	santu	santu	santo
school	skola	scola	scuola
situation	sitwazzjoni	situazzioni	situazione
strawberry	frawla	fraula	fragola
surname	kunjom	cugnomi	cognome
theatre	teatru	tiatru	teatro
tradition	tradizzjoni	tradizzioni	tradizione

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✧ Patterns to notice

Maltese Romance layer Many Maltese words here clearly reflect Romance influence: attrazzjoni, edizzjoni, emozzjoni, pożizzjoni and tradizzjoni.

Sicilian and Italian closeness Sicilian and Italian often remain very close: attrazzioni/attrazione, edizzioni/edizione and situazzioni/situazione.

Shared Mediterranean words Some forms are strikingly similar across all three languages: pont/ponti/ponte, santu/santu/santo and teatru/tiatru/teatro.

Useful contrast words Words such as xorti/sorti/destino and kunjom/cugnomi/cognome show where the languages diverge more clearly.

◎ Quick facts

30 vocabulary rowsEveryday words are compared side by side.

3 Mediterranean languagesMaltese, Sicilian and Italian are compared with English as the reference.

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Interactive study toolsSearch, cards, language chips and focused 2-column comparison.

? Maltese, Sicilian and Italian vocabulary FAQ

What does this page compare?

It compares everyday vocabulary in English, Maltese, Sicilian and Italian.

Why compare Maltese, Sicilian and Italian?

Maltese has a strong Romance vocabulary layer, and comparing it with Sicilian and Italian helps reveal Mediterranean lexical links, borrowings and differences.

How should I use this comparison?

Start with the full table, then use the language chips or 2-column comparison tool to focus on Maltese with Sicilian, Maltese with Italian, or Sicilian with Italian.