1

The Greek Alphabet

Sight and Sounds of the Greek Letters (Part 1)

The Letters and Pronunciation of the Greek Alphabet

1.0 Introduction listen

The NTGreek alphabet encompasses twenty-four individual letters. These letters

and their phonetic sounds are introduced in this lesson and further developed in
lessons two through five. Mastering the sight and sounds of the alphabet lays the
cornerstone for learning the sight and sounds of Greek words in all subsequent
lessons. The first and single most important step in learning New Testament
Greek is to memorize the sight and sounds of the alphabet. Students who do not
thoroughly learn the Greek alphabet are sowing the seed for future failure.

Studying the Greek alphabet (orthographical symbols) together with their sounds
(phonological sounds) will achieve the following:

� To know the name of an alphabetical letter is to know how to correctly

pronounce the vowel or consonant
� Barricade of strangeness of the Greek language will deteriorate
� Emphasis of learning Greek is placed both upon sight and sound
� Facilitate the use of a Greek-English lexicon when learning new words
� Communicate to others when speaking about a Greek word(s)/phrases

The English approximations to the Greek letter sounds in this course are designed
to provide a practical and consistent method of pronunciation. The pronunciation
of the letters is not an attempt to emulate how they were pronounced in First
Century Greek (no one knows how they were pronounced!). Instead, a
standardized pronunciation system is adopted as an aid to memorization used
widely in universities, Bible colleges, and seminaries today.

It is important from the beginning to distinguish the sight as well as the sound
of
each Greek letter. This may be achieved by pronouncing each Greek alphabetical
letter carefully and deliberately. In addition, practice writing each letter as it
is
heard will aid in embedding it into memory.
The SPIonic font used for the Greek characters in this lesson, and the lessons to
follow, is similarly found in printed books, which date from the middle ages.

We are now ready to begin one of the most rewarding experiences of a lifetime:
the study of the Greek New Testament in its original language.
1.1 The Greek Alphabet listen
1

One begins learning New Testament Greek by seeing and then correctly
pronouncing and writing the individual letters. The pronunciation of each Greek
alphabetical letter is learned by proper pronunciation of its alphabetical name.
For
example, the first letter in the Greek alphabet is a, and a is pronounced as the
first
letter in its alphabetical name, a!lfa. Therefore, knowing how to pronounce the
character�s alphabetical name is to know how to pronounce the alphabetical letter.

This is also true for the remaining letters in the alphabet. An alphabetical
letter
has the same pronunciation as does the opening sound of its alphabetical name.
h

Learning the Greek alphabet will be approached in a simplistic four-step manner:

� See each Greek letter;

� Hear each Greek letter;
� Learn to write the alphabetical character; and finally
� Pronounce each letter in their alphabetical order.

The twenty-four letters in the Greek alphabet are divided into two categories:
seven are vowels and the remaining seventeen are consonants. Their order,
beginning on the next page, does not reflect these separate categories, but their
alphabetical sequence. Memorizing them in this order will prove helpful later when

using a Greek-English lexicon, since all entries are alphabetically listed.

u

Beginning on the next page, each of the twenty-four Greek letters are represented.

Each alphabetical character has two forms. The first letter illustrated is the
capital
letter, and then its corresponding small letter. The capital letters should be
studied
along with their corresponding small letters. The letters should be pronounced
aloud several times while practicing writing the Greek letters. The human eye
should not carry the entire burden of learning and memorizing the alphabetical
order of the Greek alphabet.
o

The arrow accompanying each lower case letter indicates the starting point and
direction of flow when forming the letter. An animated on-line tutorial is
available
to see how each small and capital alphabetical letter is to be correctly written.
One more thing needs to be addressed before beginning to learn the Greek
alphabet using the following guide. The Greek names for the Greek letters are
spelled on the following pages with accompanying accents and breathing marks.
Whereas these are for future reference, for the time being, these accents and
breathing marks may be disregarded. You will learn these in Lesson Five.
1st letter | Alpha
1

1Alfa, a!lfa (vowel)

A a

� Sounds like < ahl � fah >.

� A, a may be pronounced long as a in father or
short as a in dad.
� This vowel may be long or short.
� Hear the pronunciation of a!lfa.
� See the alphabetical character drawn.
� A, a is transliterated as �A�, �a� into English.

2nd letter | Beta

2

Bh=ta, bh=ta (consonant)

B

B b

Sounds like < bay � tah >.

� B, b is pronounced like the b as in ball.
� Hear the pronunciation of B, b.
� See the alphabetical character drawn.
� B, b is transliterated as �B�, �b� into English.

3rd letter | Gamma

3

Ga&mma, ga&mma (consonant)

G

G g

Sounds like < gahm � ma >.

� G, g is pronounced as the g as in got, and never
as the g as in gin.
� Hear the pronunciation of G, g.
� See the alphabetical character drawn.
� G, g is transliterated as �G�, �g� into English.
4th letter | Delta
4

De/lta, de/lta (consonant)

D

D d

� Sounds like < dell � tah >.

� D, d is pronounced as the d as in dog.
� Hear the pronunciation of D, d.
� See the alphabetical character drawn.
� D, d is transliterated as �D�, �d� into English.

5th letter | Epsilon

5

2E yilo/n, e2 yilo/n (vowel)

E e

� Sounds like < eh � pseeh � lawn >.

� E, e is pronounced as the e in net.
� This vowel is always pronounced short.
� Hear the pronunciation of E, e.
� See the alphabetical character drawn.
� E, e is transliterated as �E�, �e� into English.
6th letter | Zeta
6

Zh=ta, zh=ta (consonant)

Z

Z z

� Sounds like < zah � tah >.

� Z, z is pronounced as the z in gaze.
� Hear the pronunciation of Z, z.
� See the alphabetical character drawn.
� Z, z is transliterated as �Z�, �z� into English.

7th letter | Eta

7

]Hta, h]ta (vowel)

H h

� Sounds like < ay � tah >.

� H, h is pronounced as the a in gate or as the e in
obey.
� This vowel is always long.
� Hear the pronunciation of H, h.
� See the alphabetical character drawn.
� H, h is transliterated as �E�, �e� into English.

8th letter | Theta

8

Qh=ta, qh=ta (consonant)

Q

Q q

� Sounds like < thay � tah >.

� Q, q is pronounced as the th in thing. The th is
never pronounced as th in this.
� Hear the pronunciation of Q, q.
� See the alphabetical character drawn.
� Q, q is transliterated as �Th�, �th� into English.
9th letter | Iota
9

0Iw~ta, i0w~ta (vowel)

I i

� Sounds like < yi � oh � tah >.

� I, i is pronounced long as the i in machine or
short as the i in hit.
� This vowel may be long or short.
� The i is never dotted as English �i�.
� Hear the pronunciation of I, i.
� See the alphabetical character drawn.
� I, i is transliterated as �I�, �i� into English.
10th letter | Kappa
1

Ka&ppa, ka&ppa (consonant)

K

K k

� Sounds like < kap � pah >.

� K, k is pronounced as the k in kin.
� Hear the pronunciation of K, k.
� See the alphabetical character drawn.
� K, k is transliterated as �K�, �k� into English.

11th letter | Lambda

1

La&mbda, la&mbda (consonant)

L

L l

� Sounds like < lahm � dah >.

� L, l is pronounced as the l in lot.
� Hear the pronunciation of L, l.
� See the alphabetical character drawn.
� L, l is transliterated as �L�, �l� into English.

12th letter | Mu
1

Mu=, mu= (consonant)

M

M m

� Sounds like < mew >.

� M, m is pronounced as the m in man.
� Hear the pronunciation of M, m.
� See the alphabetical character drawn.
� M, m is transliterated as �M�, �m� into English.

13th letter | Nu
1

Nu=, nu= (consonant)

N n

� Sounds like < new >.

� N, n is pronounced as the n in new.
� Hear the pronunciation of N, n.
� See the alphabetical character drawn.
� N, n is transliterated as �N�, �n� into English.

14th letter | Xsi

1

C i=, c i= (consonant)

C c

� Sounds like < x � see >.

� C, c is pronounced as the x in axe.
� Hear the pronunciation of C, c.
� See the alphabetical character drawn.
� C, c is transliterated as �X�, �x� into English.
15th letter | Omikron
1

2O mikro/n, o2 mikro/n (vowel)

O o

� Sounds like < au � me � krahn >.

� O, o is pronounced as the ough in ought.
� The vowel is always pronounced short.
� Hear the pronunciation of O, o.
� See the alphabetical character drawn.
� O, o is transliterated into English as �O�, �o�.

th letter | Pi
t

Pi=, pi= (consonant)

P

16 P p
1

Sounds like < pee >.

� P, p is pronounced as the p in party.
� Hear the pronunciation of P, p.
� See the alphabetical character drawn.
� P, p is transliterated into English as �P�, �p�.

17th letter | Rho

1

9Rw~, r9w~ (consonant)

R r

� Sounds like < hrow >.

� R, r is pronounced as the r in ride.
� Hear the pronunciation of R, r.
� See the alphabeticalecharacter drawn.
� R, r is transliterated into English as �R�, �r�.

18th letter | Sigma

1
Si/gma, si/gma (consonant)

S s

Sounds like < sig � mah >.

� Final sigma: when s occurs as the final letter in a
word, it is written as j, otherwise, it is s.

Example: seismo/j

� S, s is pronounced as the s in sit.

� Hear the pronunciation of S, s.
� See the alphabetical character drawn.
� S, s, j is transliterated into English as �S�, �s�.

19th letter | Tau

Tau=, tau= (consonant)

T t

� Sounds like < tau >.

� T, t is pronounced as the t in talk.
� Hear the pronunciation of T, t.
� See the alphabetical character drawn.
� T, t is transliterated into English as �T�, �t�.
20th letter | Upsilon

]U yilo/n, u] yilo/n (vowel)

U u

� Sounds like < ew � pseeh - lawn >.

� U, u is pronounced as the u in lute or the ew in
new.
� This vowel may be pronounced long or short.
No distinction will be attempted.
� Hear the pronunciation of U, u.
� See the alphabetical character drawn.
� U, u is transliterated as �Y�, �y� into English.

21st letter | Phi

2

Fi=, fi= (consonant)

F

F f

� Sounds like < fee >.

� F, f is pronounced as the ph in phone.
� Hear the pronunciation of F, f.
� See the alphabetical character drawn.
� F, f is transliterated as �Ph�, �ph� into English.

22nd letter | Chi

2

Xi=, xi= (consonant)

X

X x

� Sounds like < khey >.

� X, x is pronounced as the ch in chemist.
� Hear the pronunciation of X, x.
� See the alphabetical character drawn.
� X, x is transliterated as �Ch�, �ch� into English.
23rd letter | Psi

Yi=, yi= (consonant)

Y y

� Sounds like < psee >.

� Y, y is pronounced as the ps in lips.
� Hear the pronunciation of Y, y.
� See the alphabetical character drawn.
� Y, y is transliterated as �Ps�, �ps� into English.

24th letter | Omega

]Wme/ga, w}me/ga (vowel)

W w

Sounds like < oh � may � gah >.

� W, w is pronounced as the o in note.
� This vowel is always pronounced long.
� Hear the pronunciation of W, w.
� See the alphabetical character drawn.
� W, w is transliterated as �O�, �o� into English.
1.2 The Greek Small Letters listen
1

Use Exercise 1 in the Study Guide that accompanies this lesson (pages 13-16),
and practice writing and pronouncing both the capital and small letters until you
have memorized them in their alphabetical order. Always associate the small
Greek letter with its matching capital letter.
G

When practicing, aim at simplicity, clarity, and ease of recognition. Use the
animated examples on-line or those given below to learn how to form the
characters. Every student will develop their own writing style, and slight
variations
from the printed forms above will not generally cause confusion.
f

1.2.1 Eleven of the Greek small letters do not extend below the line, and are
approximately as wide as they are high. listen
a

a e i k n o p s t u w

� a(alpha) should be written as a figure 8 laid on its side and opened on the
right, and not as the English �a�.
� The i (iota) is never dotted.
� The letters n (nu) and u (upsilon) are easily confused. Write npointed at the
bottom and turn the right upward stroke out at the top; u is written rounded
at the bottom with the right upward stroke turned inward.
� n (nu) should not be confused with the English �v�. The English �v� has no
Greek counterpart. Furthermore, never say �n� for n.
� There is another pair of letters other than n and u which may be confused
except for a small, but a very important difference: omikron (o) and sigma
(s). Notice that sigma wears a "hat" whereas omikron does not.
(

1.2.2 Eight Greek small letters rest on the line and extend below it, and are as
high as those in group 1 (1.2.1). listen
h

g h m r j x f y

� Notice that the stems of f (phi) and y (psi) extend above the middle line.
� Both the g (gamma) and x (chi) may be written crossing the line.
� A sufficient stem on m (mu) distinguishes it from u (upsilon). Notice these
distinctions in the following word pairs: ko/smou - ko/smon, tu/pou - tu/pon.
� R/r (rho) must not be confused with �P/p� in English, nor w (omega) with �w�.

Text Box: Final Sigma

� There is one sigma with two forms. It is written s at the beginning or in the
middle of a word, and j at the end. Examples: so/j, no/soj, seismo/j.
� h (eta) and j (final sigma) are not usually made to extend as far below the
line as the others in this group do.

1.2.3 Three of the Greek small letters rest on the line, but are twice as high as
those in 1.2.1 above. listen

d q l

1.2.4 Three of the small letters extend slightly above and below the line. listen

b z c

Below are all of the small letters in their alphabetical order in Greek alphabet.
This
may prove helpful for it illustrates their respective height when written
together.

listen a b g d e z h q i k l m n c o p r s t u f x y w

1.3 The Greek Capital Letters listen

All of the capital letters are of uniform height and rest on the base line. They
should be learned in conjunction with their corresponding small letters. There are

nine unexpected forms that do not correspond to their small letters. Therefore,
take special note of G, D, Z, H, L, C, S, U and W.

A B G D E Z H Q I

K L M N C O P

R S T U F X Y W
1.4 The Greek Alphabet Charted listen

The chart below summarizes what has been presented thus far concerning the
Greek alphabet. The capital and small letters appear in the first column, with
their
Greek and English spellings in the second and third columns, respectively. Where
appropriate, breathing marks and accents have been included (you will learn these
in Lesson Five). The fourth column gives an English approximate pronunciation of
the Greek letter, and its phonetic value in the fifth column. The sixth column
illustrates the English equivalent (transliteration) to the Greek letter.

Letter

Greek

English

Sounds Like

Phonetic

Trans.

A a

a!lfa

alpha

ahl-fah

a in father

B b

bh=ta

beta

bay-tah

b in ball

G g

ga&mma

gamma
gahm-ma

g in got

D d

de/lta

delta

dell-tah

d in dog

E e

e2 yilo/n

�psilon

eh-pseeh-lawn

e in net

Z z

zh=ta

zeta

zah-tah

z in gaze

H h

h]ta

eta

ay-tah

e in obey

Q q

qh=ta
t
theta

t
thay-tah

th in this
t

t
th

I i

i
i0w~ta

i
iota

i
ih-oh-tah

i in hit

K k

k
ka&ppa

k
kappa

k
kap-pah

k in kin

L l

l
la&mbda

l
lambda

l
lahm-dah

l in lot

M m

m
mu=

m
mu

m
mew

m in man

N n
n
nu=

n
nu

n
new

n in new

C c

c
ci=

x
xsi

x
x-see

x in axe

O o

o2 mikro/n
o

o
omikron

a
au-me-krahn

ough in ought
o

P p

p
pi=

p
pi

p
peeh

p in party

R r

r
r(w~

r
rho

h
hrow

r in ride

r
S s, j

s
si/gma

s
sigma

s
sig-mah

s in sit

T t

t
tau=

t
tau

t
tau

t in talk

U u

u] yilo/n
u

u
upsilon

e
ew-pseeh-lawn

u in lute

y, u
y

F f

f
fi=

p
phi

f
fee

ph in phone
p

p
ph

X x

x
xi=

c
chi

k
khey

ch in chemist
c
ch

Y y

yi=

psi

psee

ps in lips

ps

W w

w} me/ga

o mega

oh-may-gah

o in note

o
1.5 Further Information listen
1

The word alphabet (a0lfa/bhtov from a!lfa + bh=ta) is derived from the first two
letters of the twenty-four Greek letters commonly used by the Greeks. The
consonants employed in the Greek alphabet are for the most part adapted from
the Phoenician alphabet.
t

Originally the Greek alphabet had several other letters, but they dropped out of
use before the New Testament era. However, their continued influence is still
felt,
especially in Greek verbs. In addition, the Greeks added five other letters that
were not part of the Phoenician alphabet (u, f, x, y and w, which are the last
five
letters of the Greek alphabet).
l

The Greek alphabetical letters did double duty, serving also as numbers. For
example, First John was written as Iwannou A (A = first letter in the alphabet),
Second John was Iwannou B (B = second letter in the alphabet), and Third John
was Iwannou G (G = third letter in the alphabet).
w

The Greek alphabet has seven vowels and seventeen consonants. A vowel is the
basic sound in speech, made by vibrating the vocal cords. This sound is modified
by the angle of the jaw, the shape of the mouth, and the position of the tongue.
Any interruption or restriction, however, is considered as a consonant.
Technically
speaking, a consonant interrupts or restricts the passage of breath, whether sound

is being produced by the vocal cords or not.

i

A Word About The Exercises

Even though biblical Greek is not spoken any longer, there is value in practicing
the exercises aloud in these lessons. Careful pronunciation will help to learn
Greek faster since words can be recognized by both sight and sound.
Furthermore, since word meanings may differ significantly with the change of a
single letter, a certain amount of precision in pronunciation is necessary.
Therefore, the student is advised to read the exercises aloud whenever possible.
�The Greek New Testament is the New Testament. All else is translation�

A. T. Robertson

Preface to the Third Edition of A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the
Light of Historical Research (Broadman Press, 1934, pg. xix)
A near full size reproduction of Acts 1:1-5 from Codex Vaticanus is below. Codex
Vaticanus is a fourth-century Greek text. In the first column is the Codex
Vaticanus. The second column displays the passage transcribed into a modern
(SPIonic) type. How many of the letters can you recognize?
(

Notice how some of the capital letters (or uncials) are differently formed. In
this
particular Codex, the final sigma is �C�. Also notice the lack of word divisions
(!)
and the complete absence of accents and breathing marks, and an almost lack of
punctuation. There are even some abbreviations used. For example, Ihsouj
(�Jesus�) is abbreviated as IS in line four.

TONMENPRWTONLOGON

EPOIHSAMHNPERIPANTW

WQEOFILEWNHRCATO

ISPOIEINTEKAIDIDASKEI

AXRIHSHMERASENTEILA

MENOSTOISAPOSTOLOIS

DIAPNEUMATOSAGIOUOUS

ECELECATOANELHMFQH:

OISKAIPARESTHSENEAU

TONZWNTAMETATOPA

QEINAUTONENPOLLOIS

TEKMHRIOISDIHMERWN

TESSERAKONTAOPTANO

MENOSAUTOISKAILEGW

TAPERITHSBASILEIASTOUQU:

KAISUNALIZOMENOSPA

RHGGEILENAUTOISAPO

IEROSOLUMWNMHXWRI
ZESQAIALLAPERIMENEI

THNEPAGGELEIANTOU

PATROSHNHKOUSATEM

OTIIWANNHSMENEBAPTI

SENUDATIUMEISDEEN

PNEUMATIBAPTISQHSE

SQEAGIWOUMETAPOLLAS

TAUTASHMERAS OIMEN
1
STUDY GUIDE
The Greek Alphabet: Letters and Sounds
The Letters and Pronunciation of the Greek Alphabet
T

The goal of this lesson is to learn to say and write the Greek letters. For this
goal to be
met, you will need to say and write with ease the Greek alphabet in its correct
order.
First practice writing the small letters with the guide given below, pronouncing
each letter
every time you write it. If you need added help in forming these Greek letters, an
on-line
animated tutorial is available. In Exercise 2, you will practice writing the
c
capitals.

Exercise 1: Practice forming the Greek small letters

E

z
q

Text Box: ?
p

Text Box: Final Sigma

y

Exercise 2: Practice associating the Greek small and capital letters

Practice writing all the capital letters with their matching small letters in
their
alphabetical order. This is very important that you do this. As always, pronounce
each letter as you write it. Write and say these letters until you can do so with
ease. Do not proceed until you can!

A a

B b

G g

E e
Z z

H h

Q q

I i

K k
e

L l

M m

N n

C c
O o

P p

S s

S j

T t

U u

F f

Text Box: Final Sigma

X x

Y y

W w

Exercise 3: Writing the Greek alphabetical letters from memory

E

Write both capital and small letters of the Greek alphabet from memory. Write the
capital letters on the left side of the column and the small letters on the right
s
side.

Capital Small Capital Small Capital Small

1. 9. 17.
1

2. 10. 18.
2

3. 11. 19.
3

4. 12. 20.
4

5. 13. 21.
5

6. 14. 22.
6

7. 15. 23.
7
8. 16. 24.
Exercise 4: Fill in the blank with the correct answer
E

1. There are ________________ letters in the Greek alphabet. (1.0)

1

2. Each alphabetical letter has the same pronunciation as does the opening
sound of its _______________ ______________. (1.1)
s

3. There are __________ vowels and _________________ consonants in the

Greek alphabet. (1.1)
G

4. Eleven Greek small letters do not extend below the line when writing them, and
are approximately as wide as they are high. These letters are: ____, ____,
____, ____, ____, ____, ____, ____, ____, ____, and ____. (1.2.1)
_

5. Eight Greek small letters rest on the line and extend below it when writing
them. These letters are: ___, ___, ___, ___, ___, ___, ___, and ___. (1.2.2)
t

6. Three Greek small letters extend slightly above and below the line. What ones
are they? _____, _____, and _____. (1.2.4)
a

7. All the Greek capital letters are of _________ height and ________ on the
base line. (1.3)
b

8. Vowels are the basic sound in speech, made by vibrating the _____ ____. (1.5)

9. A consonant _____________ or ____________ the passage of breath,

whether sound is being produced by the vocal cords or not. (1.5)
w

Exercise 5: Practice saying your �AB Gs� listen

E

A a B b Gg D d E e Z z H h Q q
I i K k L l M m N n C c O o P p

R r S s T t U u F f X x Y y W w

Click here for the answers to this study guide and further help aids associated
with this lesson.