The Greek Alphabetα β γ δ — the foundation of everything
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.
Reveal answer
- Recognize all 24 Greek letters in both upper and lower case
- Pronounce each letter using the Erasmian system
- Know the standard transliteration for each letter
- Understand the special cases: final sigma, and the long/short vowel pairs
- Learn to recognize all 24 letters in both upper and lower case.
- Watch the false friends — Η, Ρ, Ν, Β, Χ, Υ do not sound like their Latin look-alikes.
- Final sigma ς appears only at the end of a word; σ everywhere else.
- Do only the first 2–3 trainer sets today.
CoreA Note Before You Begin
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.
CoreThe Alphabet (with strategy)
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.
Group 1: Familiar form, familiar sound
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 |
Group 2: False friends — look familiar but read differently
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' |
Group 3: Genuinely new letters
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 |
Group 4: The trouble pairs
Eta (η) vs. epsilon (ε) — both are 'e' sounds. Eta is the long 'e' (as in 'they'); epsilon is the short 'e' (as in 'pet'). Transliterated ē and e.
Omega (ω) vs. omicron (ο) — both are 'o' sounds. Omega is the long 'o' (as in 'tone'); omicron is the short 'o' (as in 'pot'). Transliterated ō and o.
The Greek names give it away: omikron means 'small o' (mikros), and omega means 'big o' (mega). The grammar later cares deeply which one you have, so learn them as distinct letters now.
CoreThe Sigma Trick
Sigma is the only letter with two lowercase forms:
- σ — used at the beginning or middle of a word
- ς — used only at the end of a word (called 'final sigma')
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.
CoreDaily Drill Plan
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 |
CoreRead These Aloud
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.
Seven drill sets to make the alphabet automatic — six skill-specific drills, then a cumulative Mastery Test of 50 questions designed to push you. Items you miss loop until mastered. The Mastery Test includes harder items — capital letters, breathing marks, diphthongs, the γγ-rule, NT word reading, and Greek numerals — none of which are obvious unless you've truly internalized the alphabet.