Before any grammar, you have to be able to read the script. This lesson introduces the 24 letters of the Koine alphabet, their forms, names, and sounds. By the end, you should be able to recognize each letter and say its name without hesitation.
The Greek alphabet looks intimidating at first. It is not. Many letters are identical or nearly identical to English ones in form or sound: alpha (Α α) is the source of our 'A,' beta (Β β) of our 'B,' delta (Δ δ) of our 'D'. The word alphabet itself is just alpha + beta.
Of the 24 letters, perhaps a dozen will feel new — and even those have logic. Once you have spent two or three sessions with the alphabet trainer, recognizing letters becomes automatic. That has to happen before grammar makes sense, so don't rush past this.
Here are the 24 letters organized into four groups: letters that look familiar, letters that look familiar but mislead you, letters that are completely new, and the two trouble pairs.
These letters look like their English equivalents and sound roughly the same. They're the easiest to learn:
| Letter | Name | Sound | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Α α | alpha | a as in 'father' | a |
| Β β | beta | b as in 'bat' | b |
| Δ δ | delta | d as in 'dog' | d |
| Ε ε | epsilon | short e as in 'pet' | e |
| Ζ ζ | zeta | dz as in 'adze' | z |
| Ι ι | iota | i as in 'machine' (or short 'pit') | i |
| Κ κ | kappa | k as in 'kid' | k |
| Μ μ | mu | m as in 'moon' | m |
| Ν ν | nu | n as in 'no' | n |
| Ο ο | omicron | short o as in 'pot' | o |
| Τ τ | tau | t as in 'top' | t |
These letters look like English letters but have completely different sounds. They will trick you for the first few weeks if you are not careful:
| Letter | Name | Sound | Looks like (but isn't) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Η η | eta | long e as in 'they' | English 'H' — but it's a vowel |
| Ν ν | nu | n as in 'no' | English 'V' — but it's an N sound |
| Ρ ρ | rho | r as in 'run' | English 'P' — but it's an R sound |
| Χ χ | chi | ch as in German 'Bach' | English 'X' — but it's the 'kh' sound |
| Υ υ | upsilon | like French 'tu' or German 'ü' | English 'Y' or 'U' |
These letters have no immediate English equivalent. They are completely new shapes:
| Letter | Name | Sound | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Γ γ | gamma | hard g as in 'got' | never the soft 'j' sound |
| Θ θ | theta | th as in 'thin' | unvoiced — not as in 'this' |
| Λ λ | lambda | l as in 'lamp' | capital looks like an upside-down V |
| Ξ ξ | xi | x as in 'axe' | a single letter, not k+s |
| Π π | pi | p as in 'pet' | familiar from math |
| Σ σ ς | sigma | s as in 'sit' | two lowercase forms — see below |
| Φ φ | phi | ph/f as in 'phone' | familiar from math/physics |
| Ψ ψ | psi | ps as in 'lips' | a single letter, not p+s |
| Ω ω | omega | long o as in 'tone' | means 'big O' — last letter |
Sigma is the only letter with two lowercase forms:
So 'salvation' is written σωτηρία with two non-final sigmas. 'Christ' is written Χριστός with a final sigma at the end. Both forms make the same 's' sound; they are written differently purely by position.
The fastest way to learn the alphabet is short repeated exposure. Here is a five-day plan:
| Day | Focus | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Read this lesson; say each letter aloud | Familiarity |
| 2 | 10 minutes on the Alphabet Trainer (Glyph → Name) | Fast recognition |
| 3 | 10 minutes on the Trainer (Name → Glyph) | Recall the form from the name |
| 4 | 10 minutes on the Trainer (Upper → Lower) | Master case-pairings |
| 5 | 10 minutes on the Trainer (Glyph → Translit), then read the words below aloud | Pronounce confidently |
Sound out each word slowly. Don't worry about meaning yet — just produce the sounds. You'll meet most of these as vocabulary in later lessons.
Mounce walks through all 24 Greek letters and the basics of pronunciation. Note: this video also covers Chapter 4 (Punctuation/Syllabification), so the same video appears for our Lesson 2.
Six drill sets to make the alphabet automatic — letter→name, name→letter, letter→sound, trouble pairs, the σ/ς sigma trick, and reading short Greek words. Items you miss loop until mastered.