Greek Alphabet for Beginners: Letters & Pronunciation

Greek Alphabet for Beginners: Letters, Sounds and Pronunciation Guide

The Greek alphabet may look unfamiliar at first, but learning its 24 letters is a manageable first step toward reading Modern Greek. With regular practice, you can begin recognizing letters, sounding out simple words, and reading familiar expressions. The writing system is also fairly regular: once you know how the letters and letter combinations sound, you can pronounce nearly any Greek word you see.

This guide covers the Modern Greek alphabet as it is spoken today. It explains the letters, their names and their sounds, then the letter pairs and accent marks that trip people up, and ends with a practice routine.

Written by Emma Collins | Reviewed by the Learnora Books Editorial Team

How Many Letters Are in the Greek Alphabet?

The Greek alphabet has 24 letters: seven vowel letters (α, ε, η, ι, ο, υ, ω) and seventeen consonant letters. The word “alphabet” itself comes from the first two letters, alpha and beta.

It helps to separate letters from sounds. Modern Greek has seven vowel letters but only five basic vowel sounds: /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/ and /u/. Because seven letters share five sounds, some letters are pronounced identically. That is the main source of spelling difficulty, and we come back to it below.

Each letter has an uppercase and a lowercase form, and one letter (sigma) has a special form at the end of a word.

The Greek Letters, Names and Sounds

The table gives each letter, its Modern Greek name, an approximate English sound and an example word. Stress is marked with an accent in the romanization.

Greek Alphabet Letters, Sounds and Pronunciation

How to read the romanization: dh is the th of “this”, th is the th of “think”, gh is the soft, rasping sound of γ (explained below), ch is the sound of χ, and x stands for ks. English has no exact match for several of these sounds, so every English comparison here is an approximation.

Letter	Name	Approximate sound	Example
Α α	άλφα (álfa)	a as in “father”	αγάπη (aghápi), love
Β β	βήτα (víta)	v as in “van”	βιβλίο (vivlío), book
Γ γ	γάμα (gháma)	soft gh, or y before front vowels (see below)	γάτα (gháta), cat
Δ δ	δέλτα (dhélta)	th as in “this”	δέκα (dhéka), ten
Ε ε	έψιλον (épsilon)	e as in “bed”	έξι (éxi), six
Ζ ζ	ζήτα (zíta)	z as in “zoo”	ζωή (zoí), life
Η η	ήτα (íta)	ee as in “feet”	ήλιος (ílios), sun
Θ θ	θήτα (thíta)	th as in “think”	θέατρο (théatro), theatre
Ι ι	γιώτα (yóta)	ee as in “feet”	ιδέα (idhéa), idea
Κ κ	κάπα (kápa)	k as in “kite”	κόσμος (kósmos), world
Λ λ	λάμδα (lámdha)	l as in “lamp”	λουλούδι (louloúdhi), flower
Μ μ	μι (mi)	m as in “mother”	μαμά (mamá), mum
Ν ν	νι (ni)	n as in “net”	νερό (neró), water
Ξ ξ	ξι (xi)	ks as in “box”	ξένος (xénos), stranger
Ο ο	όμικρον (ómikron)	/o/, a pure vowel sound without the English-style glide.	όνομα (ónoma), name
Π π	πι (pi)	p as in “pen”	πατέρας (patéras), father
Ρ ρ	ρο (ro)	tapped or rolled r	ρολόι (rolói), clock
Σ σ/ς	σίγμα (sígma)	s as in “sun”	σπίτι (spíti), house
Τ τ	ταυ (taf)	t as in “top”	τραπέζι (trapézi), table
Υ υ	ύψιλον (ípsilon)	ee as in “feet”	ύπνος (ípnos), sleep
Φ φ	φι (fi)	f as in “fun”	φίλος (fílos), friend
Χ χ	χι (chi)	ch as in Scottish “loch” (see below)	χέρι (chéri), hand
Ψ ψ	ψι (psi)	ps as in “lapse”	ψάρι (psári), fish
Ω ω	ωμέγα (oméga)	/o/, the same basic vowel sound as ο in Modern Greek.	ώρα (óra), hour

Some letter names have more than one accepted spelling. Gamma, for example, appears as γάμα or γάμμα. Pronunciation also varies a little by region and speaker, so expect minor differences between recordings.

Letters That Look Familiar but Sound Different

These cause most early mistakes:

Β looks like B but sounds like v.
Ν looks like a v but is n.
Ρ looks like P but is r.
Η looks like H but sounds like ee.
Υ looks like Y but also sounds like ee.
Χ looks like X but is a ch sound, not ks.
ω looks like w but is o.

The ks sound is written with Ξ.

How Γ and Χ Change Before Different Vowels

The letters γ and χ are pronounced a little differently depending on the vowel that follows them. English spellings such as “gh”, “y,” and “ch” are only rough guides, because English has no exact equivalent for either sound.

Γ (gamma): before the vowel sounds /a/, /o/ and /u/ (α, ο, ω, ου), it is a soft, voiced, rasping sound made at the back of the mouth, written gh here, as in γάτα (gháta). Before front vowels such as ε and ι, γ is generally pronounced as a voiced palatal fricative. This sound may resemble the English y to beginners, but it is not exactly the same. For example, γεια is commonly approximated as “ya” in beginner pronunciation guides.
Χ (chi): before back vowels, it is generally pronounced as a voiceless velar fricative, similar to the sound represented by ch in Scottish “loch”. Before front vowels such as ε and ι, it is generally pronounced farther forward in the mouth, with a sound similar to the ch in German “ich”. These English comparisons are approximate rather than exact.

You do not need to master this on day one. Listen to a few recorded examples and imitate them, and the pattern becomes natural quickly.

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Letters That Share the Same Sound

Because Modern Greek has five vowel sounds but seven vowel letters, several letters and combinations sound identical:

The “ee” sound (/i/): η, ι, υ, ει, οι, υι
The “o” sound (/o/): ο, ω
The “e” sound (/e/): ε, αι

For listening and speaking, this changes nothing: you only need to learn the sound. It matters when you write, because you have to remember which spelling a word uses. Native speakers learn this through years of schooling and reading, so spelling mix-ups between these letters are a normal stage for learners.

Common Letter Combinations

Greek uses vowel pairs and consonant clusters that represent single sounds. Learning them early saves a lot of confusion.

Vowel Combinations

Combination	Sound	Example
αι	e as in “bed”	παιδί (pedhí), child
ει, οι	ee as in “feet”	είκοσι (íkosi), twenty; οικογένεια (ikoyénia), family
ου	oo as in “food”	ουρανός (ouranós), sky
αυ	av or af	αύριο (ávrio), tomorrow; αυτός (aftós), he
ευ	ev or ef	ευρώ (evró), euro; ευχαριστώ (efcharistó), thank you

The rule for αυ and ευ depends on the sound that follows. Before a vowel or a voiced consonant (such as β, γ, δ, ζ, λ, μ, ν, ρ), you hear v: αύριο (ávrio), ευρώ (evró). Before a voiceless consonant (such as κ, π, τ, χ, φ, θ, σ, ξ, ψ), you hear f: αυτός (aftós), ευχαριστώ (efcharistó).

Consonant Combinations

Combination	Typical sound	Example
μπ	Often b at the beginning of a word; pronunciation may vary in medial positions	μπύρα (bíra), beer
ντ	Often d at the beginning of a word; pronunciation may vary in medial positions	ντομάτα (domáta), tomato; πέντε (pénde), five
γκ	Often g at the beginning of a word; pronunciation may vary in medial positions	γκρι (gri), grey
γγ	ng	άγγελος (ángelos), angel
τσ	ts	τσάι (tsái), tea
τζ	dz or j	τζάμι (dzámi), glass

Greek has no single letters for the sounds b, d, and g as in English, which is why these clusters exist. In the middle of a word, the exact sound can vary by speaker and word, so treat the entries above as a beginner’s guide rather than a strict rule.

Accent Marks and Other Symbols

Modern Greek uses one accent mark, the acute accent (τόνος, tónos). It marks the stressed syllable in words that carry a written accent. Many multisyllabic words have an accent mark, while monosyllabic words usually do not, although there are exceptions. In καφές (kafés), the accent shows that the stress falls on the last syllable.

Learn to read the accent as a stress signal early. Placing stress correctly makes your speech much easier to follow.

Two other symbols are worth knowing:

The diaeresis (¨) over ι or υ shows that the vowel is pronounced separately rather than as part of a pair. In παϊδάκια (paidhákia, lamb chops), the two vowels are pronounced as separate sounds.
The Greek question mark looks like an English semicolon (;).

Learning tip: do not try to memorize all 24 letters in one sitting. Start with the letters that look and sound familiar (α, ε, ι, κ, μ, ν, ο, τ, ζ), then add the look-alikes, then the new shapes (γ, δ, θ, λ, ξ, π, σ, φ, ψ, ω). Say each letter’s name aloud as you write it.

How to Learn the Greek Alphabet

A simple routine works better than one long session:

Learn in small groups. Five or six letters per session is plenty.
Read words, not just letters. Once you know a group of letters, read simple words that use them.
Say the sound aloud. Matching letter to sound is the whole point.
Listen to native speakers. Recordings of the alphabet and of everyday words help you check your sounds.
Review the look-alikes often. Β, Ν, Ρ, Η, Υ and Χ cause most early mistakes.

Easy Words to Practice

Greek shares or has borrowed many words with English, which makes them good reading practice:

ταξί (taxí), taxi
μετρό (metró), metro
καφές (kafés), coffee
σαλάτα (saláta), salad
τηλέφωνο (tiléfono), telephone
μουσική (mousikí), music

Try reading each one aloud before checking the romanization.

Modern Greek Alphabet vs. Ancient Greek

The alphabet itself is largely the same in Ancient and Modern Greek, but pronunciation has changed. Beta, for example, is v today, while classical scholars generally pronounce it as b. The reconstructed classical system also distinguished pitch, whereas Modern Greek uses stress.

If you plan to read ancient texts, you will probably meet a different set of pronunciation conventions. This guide covers the Modern Greek alphabet for speaking and reading today. Learning it first is a sound foundation either way, because the letter shapes are the same.

Conclusion

Learning the Greek alphabet is a one-time investment that makes every later step easier, from reading signs and menus to learning vocabulary. Start with the look-alikes, learn the vowel and consonant combinations, and practice with real words rather than isolated letters. Return to this Greek alphabet guide whenever you want to check a letter name or sound.

FAQ

How many letters are in the Greek alphabet?

There are 24 letters: seven vowel letters and seventeen consonant letters.

Is the Greek alphabet hard to learn?

Most of the difficulty comes from unfamiliar shapes and a few look-alike letters. Pronunciation is fairly consistent once you know the letters and combinations.

Why does β sound like “v”?

In Modern Greek, beta is pronounced v. Pronunciation has changed over the centuries, and classical scholars generally pronounce the letter as b when reading ancient texts.

Why do so many Greek letters sound the same?

Modern Greek has seven vowel letters but five vowel sounds, so several letters and combinations (η, ι, υ, ει, οι) are all pronounced ee. This affects spelling more than speech.

Do I need to learn the accent marks?

Yes. The tonos show which syllable is stressed, and correct stress makes your speech easier to follow.

Sources

Centre for the Greek Language – Greek Language Portal — A reference for the Greek language.
University of Arizona, Center for Middle Eastern Studies – Modern Greek Alphabet and Phonetics (PDF)
E. Tuttle, University of Denver – The Greek Alphabet
Harry Foundalis – The Greek Alphabet — Covers Modern and Classical Greek pronunciation.
Greek: An Essential Grammar of the Modern Language – Routledge — Grammar reference.

Greek Alphabet for Beginners: Letters & Pronunciation

Greek Alphabet for Beginners: Letters, Sounds and Pronunciation Guide