Question 1

When is Το Ελληνικό Αλφάβητο used?

Accepted Answer

Greek uses its own alphabet of 24 letters . Many letters look familiar from mathematics and science, but their sounds may differ.

Question 2

How is Το Ελληνικό Αλφάβητο formed?

Accepted Answer

Note: Σ has two lowercase forms: σ within a word and ς at the end (e.g., κόσμος ).

Question 3

What are common mistakes with Το Ελληνικό Αλφάβητο?

Accepted Answer

English speakers confuse Η (eta, sounds like 'ee') with English H, and Β (vita) with English B. Russian speakers have an advantage with many similar sounds but struggle with θ and δ (interdentals). Czech speakers find χ familiar (like Czech ch) but also struggle with interdentals. 🇬🇧 English speakers: Confuse Β=v (not b), Η=ee (not h), Ρ=r (not p), Χ=ch (not x). The letter Ν looks like N but is pronounced the same — watch Υ which looks like Y but sounds like 'ee'. 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: Most sounds exist in Russian. Main challenges: θ (no equivalent — try с with tongue between teeth) and δ (try з with tongue between teeth). Γ before ε/ι sounds like й, not г.

Letter	Name	Sound
Α α	alpha	a
Β β	beta	v
Γ γ	gamma	gh / y
Δ δ	delta	th (this)
Ε ε	epsilon	e
Ζ ζ	zeta	z
Η η	eta	i
Θ θ	theta	th (think)
Ι ι	iota	i
Κ κ	kappa	k
Λ λ	lambda	l
Μ μ	mu	m
Ν ν	nu	n
Ξ ξ	xi	ks
Ο ο	omicron	o
Π π	pi	p
Ρ ρ	rho	r (rolled)
Σ σ/ς	sigma	s
Τ τ	tau	t
Υ υ	upsilon	i
Φ φ	phi	f
Χ χ	chi	ch (loch)
Ψ ψ	psi	ps
Ω ω	omega	o

The Greek Alphabet

The Greek Alphabet

Put it into practice

Frequently asked questions