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How to Say ‘An embarrassing blunder’ in Italian

Una figuraccia

OO-nah fee-goo-RAHT-chah

[OO-nah fee-goo-RAHT-chah]

💬 Usage Tip: The ending -accio/-accia turns a word into a bad version of itself: figura "impression" becomes figuraccia. Same with parola "word" and parolaccia "swear word".

🇮🇹 In Italy: Fear of fare una figuraccia runs deep in Italy. Laughing at your own little blunder is disarming and charming.

Phrase Breakdown

Una

[OO-nah]

a

Feminine singular indefinite article before a feminine noun.

Example

Ho lavorato in una piccola azienda.

I worked in a small company.

figuraccia

[fee-goo-RAHT-chah]

embarrassing blunder

A situation where one makes a bad impression or embarrasses oneself.

Example

Ho fatto una figuraccia davanti a tutti.

I embarrassed myself in front of everyone.

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