The Greek Alphabet: From Α to Ω in 20 Minutes

The Greek alphabet has 24 letters and is the ancestor of the Latin and Cyrillic scripts. Learning it thoroughly takes less than a day — and unlocks direct access to one of the world's oldest literary traditions.

Letters That Look Familiar

Several Greek letters resemble their Latin counterparts and are easy to remember:

• Α α — Alpha (like "a")
• Ε ε — Epsilon (like "e")
• Ι ι — Iota (like "i")
• Κ κ — Kappa (like "k")
• Μ μ — Mu (like "m")
• Ν ν — Nu (like "n")
• Ο ο — Omicron (like "o")
• Τ τ — Tau (like "t")

Tricky Letters

Some Greek letters look like Latin letters but represent entirely different sounds:

• Η η — Eta — sounds like "ee", not "h"
• Ρ ρ — Rho — sounds like "r", not "p"
• Χ χ — Chi — sounds like the Scottish "loch", not "x"
• Ν ν — Nu — sounds like "n", not "v"

Double-Letter Sounds

Greek uses digraphs — two-letter combinations that produce a single sound:

• ου → "oo" (as in "moon"): μπλουζ (blouse)
• αι → "e": παιδί (child)
• ει → "ee": είμαι (I am)
• μπ → "b": μπαλκόνι (balcony)
• ντ → "d": ντομάτα (tomato)

Your First Greek Words

Start by adding these to your Lexora vocabulary — each one uses a different part of the alphabet:

• νερό — water
• ψωμί — bread
• καλημέρα — good morning
• ευχαριστώ — thank you
• παρακαλώ — please / you are welcome