The 24 letters of Modern Greek with their names and closest English sound. grecfacile.ch
| Letter | Name | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| Α α | alpha | a as in "father" |
| Β β | vita | v |
| Γ γ | gamma | soft g; "y" before e/i |
| Δ δ | delta | th as in "this" |
| Ε ε | epsilon | e as in "bed" |
| Ζ ζ | zita | z |
| Η η | ita | ee |
| Θ θ | thita | th as in "think" |
| Ι ι | iota | ee |
| Κ κ | kappa | k |
| Λ λ | lambda | l |
| Μ μ | mi | m |
| Ν ν | ni | n |
| Ξ ξ | xi | x as in "taxi" |
| Ο ο | omicron | o as in "sort" |
| Π π | pi | p |
| Ρ ρ | rho | rolled r |
| Σ σ ς | sigma | s (ς at the end of a word) |
| Τ τ | taf | t |
| Υ υ | ypsilon | ee |
| Φ φ | fi | f |
| Χ χ | khi | breathed h (Scottish "loch") |
| Ψ ψ | psi | ps as in "lapse" |
| Ω ω | omega | o as in "sort" |
Tips
- Look-alike traps: Β = v, Η = ee, Ρ = r, Υ = ee, Χ = kh.
- η, ι, υ, ει, οι are all pronounced "ee"; ου = "oo", αι = "e" as in bed.
- The sounds b, d and hard g are written μπ, ντ, γκ.
- The written accent (ά, έ, ό…) marks the syllable to stress.
- Write each letter out by hand: ten minutes a day for a week is enough.