The alphabet and pronunciation
24 letters, letter combinations like ου, αι, μπ, and the five vowel sounds.
Greek uses its own alphabet of 24 letters. Many look familiar, but some familiar shapes stand for different sounds. Once learnt, spelling is a reliable guide to pronunciation (though not the other way round).
| Letter | Name | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Α α | άλφα | a as in «father» | αλάτι (salt) |
| Β β | βήτα | v | βιβλίο (book) |
| Γ γ | γάμα | throaty «gh»; «y» before e/i sounds | γάλα, γεια |
| Δ δ | δέλτα | th as in «this» | δέντρο (tree) |
| Ζ ζ | ζήτα | z | ζάχαρη (sugar) |
| Η η / Ι ι / Υ υ | ήτα / γιώτα / ύψιλον | all i as in «machine» | ήλιος, ίδιος, ύπνος |
| Θ θ | θήτα | th as in «think» | θάλασσα (sea) |
| Ξ ξ / Ψ ψ | ξι / ψι | ks / ps | ξένος, ψωμί |
| Ρ ρ | ρο | r (tapped) | ρολόι (clock) |
| Σ σ ς | σίγμα | s (ς only at the end of a word) | σπίτι, καλός |
| Χ χ | χι | ch as in Scottish «loch» | χέρι (hand) |
| Ω ω / Ο ο | ωμέγα / όμικρον | both o | ώρα, όνομα |
The letters not listed — Ε, Κ, Λ, Μ, Ν, Π, Τ, Φ — sound as you would expect: e, k, l, m, n, p, t, f.
Letter combinations
| Written | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ει, οι | i | είμαι, οικογένεια |
| αι | e | και (and) |
| ου | u as in «food» | νερού, ουρανός |
| μπ | b (mb in the middle) | μπύρα (beer) |
| ντ | d (nd in the middle) | ντομάτα (tomato) |
| γκ, γγ | g (ng in the middle) | γκαράζ, Αγγλία |
| αυ, ευ | av / ev (af / ef before voiceless consonants) | αύριο, ευχαριστώ |
- Γεια σου! Είμαι η Μαρία.Hi! I'm Maria.
- Ευχαριστώ πολύ.Thank you very much.
Test yourself
-
How is «β» pronounced?
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v -
Which letters and combinations are pronounced «i»?
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η, ι, υ, ει, οι -
How is «ου» pronounced?
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u (as in «food») -
When is «ς» used instead of «σ»?
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at the end of a word