Is it written un po’ or un pò?
The correct form is un po’ with an apostrophe.
Un pò with the accent is incorrect.
We use un po’ to indicate a limited quantity or a scarce number.
Prima di andare a letto mangio sempre un po’ di cioccolata.
Il cielo è un po’ nuvoloso, sta per piovere.
Ho un po’ di ansia per l’esame di domani.
The expression un po’ is the result of the phenomenon called truncation. The term truncation refers to a phenomenon by which segments or final syllables of words are deleted.
In fact, the original expression was “un poco”. The word “poco” has undergone the truncation of the final syllable and has become po’. In Italian, when a word undergoes the cancellation of the final syllable, the apostrophe is used to indicate the dropping of the last syllable.
For this reason the use of the accent is incorrect.
Even the form un po, without an apostrophe, is wrong.
See also:
Is it written all’incirca or allincirca?
