As I said in my discussion of different scripts, the Hellenic languages use the Greek alphabet. Here it is. I’m afraid the table is a little complicated, because (a) each letter has a name, which it’s useful to know, and (b) there are some differences in pronunciation between Ancient Greek (which is still a language that people want to learn today), and Modern Greek. To try and keep it simple, I have only mentioned those that are not as they seem to an English speaker (Ancient Greek), or, in Modern Greek, those that vary from their Ancient sounds.
Name | Transcription | Ancient Greek pronunciation | Modern Greek pronunciation | |
Α α | alpha | a | short as in await or cup, or long as in father | as in father |
Β β | beta | b | v as in vote | |
Γ γ | gamma | g | as in get, but sometimes like sing | y as in yellow |
Δ δ | delta | d | th as in then | |
Ε ε | epsilon | e | short e, as in set | |
Ζ ζ | zeta | z | as in wisdom | z as in zoo |
Η η | eta (long e) | e | long e, as in hair | i as in machine |
Θ θ | theta | th | t as in top | th as in thin |
Ι ι | iota | i | short, as in hit | |
Κ κ | kappa | k | ||
Λ λ | lambda | l | ||
Μ μ | mu | m | ||
Ν ν | nu | n | ||
Ξ ξ | xi | ks | ||
Ο ο | omicron | o | short as in pot | |
Π π | pi | p | ||
Ρ ρ | rho | r | trilled | |
Σ ς | sigma | s | ||
Τ τ | tau | t | ||
Υ υ | upsilon | u or y | short as in French lune, or long as in French ruse | |
Φ φ | phi | ph | as in pot | f as in five |
Χ χ | chi (kh) | ch | as in cat | ch as in loch or Bach |
Ψ ψ | psi | ps | both pronounced, as in lips | |
Ω ω | omega (long o) | ô | as in saw | short o, as in soft |
Here are some visual mnemonics to help you learn all this. Note that these mnemonic cards include a keyword to help you remember the name of the letter, and another one to help you remember how it’s pronounced.