The Greek Alphabet
| Capital |
Lowercase |
Name |
Pronunciation* |
| Α |
α |
alpha |
as a in father |
| Β |
β |
beta |
as b in bob |
| Γ |
γ |
gamma |
as g in gag* |
| Δ |
δ |
delta |
as d in deed |
| Ε |
ε |
epsilon |
as e in bed |
| Ζ |
ζ |
zeta |
as z in zigzag* |
| Η |
η |
eta |
as e in they |
| Θ |
θ |
theta |
as th in thin* |
| Ι |
ι |
iota |
as i in did or machine* |
| Κ |
κ |
kappa |
as k in kick |
| Λ |
λ |
lambda |
as l in lull |
| Μ |
μ |
mu |
as m in mom |
| Ν |
ν |
nu |
as n in nun |
| Ξ |
ξ |
xi |
as x in Xerox* |
| Ο |
ο |
omicron |
as o in hot |
| Π |
π |
pi |
as p in peep |
| Ρ |
ρ |
rho |
as r in roar |
| Σ |
σ |
sigma |
as s in sister |
| Σ |
ς |
final sigma* |
as s in boss |
| Τ |
τ |
tau |
as t in tot |
| Υ |
υ |
upsilon |
as u in Tuesday* |
| Φ |
φ |
phi |
as ph in Philipp |
| Χ |
χ |
chi |
as ch in Bach* |
| Ψ |
ψ |
psi |
as ps in lips* |
| Ω |
ω |
omega |
as o in rope |
*Notes
- Pronunciations given are typical of an Ancient Greek pronunciation, with some accommodation to modern English speakers. Modern Greek differs significantly at many points.
- Gamma always makes a hard g sound, as in get, never soft as in gem. A double gamma (γγ) makes the ng sound of finger.
- Zeta counts as a double consonant and is best represented by the dz of adze; however, pronouncing it as a plain z is sufficient.
- Theta has the "unvoiced" sound of th in thin, not the "voiced" sound of that.
- Iota can be short (as in did) or long (as in machine), depending on the word.
- Xi is best represented by a ks sound, even at the beginning of words, but English speakers may prefer the z sound of xylophone.
- Sigma has a different form (ς) at the end of words. If a word is written with all capitals, the forms are the same (compare ΣΕΙΣΜΟΣ and σεισμος). In addition, a later form of capital sigma looks like a capital C, such as IC XC as an abbreviation for Ιησους Χριστος (Jesus Christ).
Copyright 2008 by John M. Young. Permission is granted to link to this page.