De Graecorum Literis, Earumque Divisionibus et Affectionibus
Of the Letters of the Greeks, and of their Divisions and Affections.
Literas habent Graeci vigiti quatuor, quarum figuras, nomina, potestatesque subjecta tabula ostendit.
The Greeks have twenty-four letters, of which the figures, names and powers the following table shows.
1. Alpha (Α,α)
The first letter of the Greek alphabet is named “Alpha”. Its uppercase form is written like the English uppercase A, and the lowercase form is similar to the English lowercase a. The letter alpha is the first of the Greek vowels, and is pronounced with the Classical A sound as in “father”.
2. Beta (Β,β)
The second letter of the Greek alphabet is named “Beta”, pronounced “bay-tah”. Its uppercase form is written like the English uppercase B, but the lowercase form is unique and must be memorized. The letter beta is the first of the Greek consonant, and is pronounced with the Classical B sound, as in “bird”.
3. Gamma (Γ,γ)
The third letter of the Greek alphabet is named “Gamma”. Its forms are unique and must be memorized. The letter gamma is a consonant, and is pronounced with the Classical G sound, as in “God”.
4. Delta (Δ,δ)
The fourth letter of the Greek alphabet is named “Delta”. Its uppercase form looks like a triangle, and its lowercase form is similar to the English lowercase d. The letter delta is a consonant, and is pronounced with the Classical D sound, as in “day”.
5. Epsilon (Ε,ε)
The fifth letter of the Greek alphabet is named “E-psilon”. This name means “simple E”. Its uppercase form is written like the English uppercase E, but the lowercase form is unique and must be memorized. The letter epsilon is the second of the Greek vowels, and is pronounced with the short Classical E sound, as in the Latin word “lego”.
6 . Zeta (Ζ,ζ)
The sixth letter of the Greek alphabet is named “Zeta”. Its uppercase form is written like the English uppercase Z, but the lowercase form is unique and must be memorized. The letter zeta is the fourth of the Greek consonants, and is pronounced with the Classical Z sound, as in “zoo”.
7. Eta (Η,η)
The seventh letter of the Greek alphabet is named “Eta”. Its uppercase form is written like the English uppercase H, but the lowercase form is unique and must be memorized. The letter eta is the third of the Greek vowels, and is pronounced with the long Classical E sound, as in the Latin word “doceo”.
8. Theta (Θ,θ)
The eighth letter of the Greek alphabet is named “Theta”. Its uppercase form is written like the English uppercase O with a horizontal line through it, and the lowercase form a smaller form of it. The letter theta is the fifth of the Greek consonants, and is pronounced with the sound of the digraph TH sound, as in “Thomas”. It is acceptable, however, to read it with the sound of TH in “thin”.
10. Iota (Ι,ι)
The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet is named “Iota”, pronounced with three syllables, “ee-yo-ta”. Its uppercase form is written like the English uppercase I, and the lowercase form is written like a lowercase I without a dot. The letter iota is the fourth of the Greek vowels, and is pronounced with the long Classical I sound, as in the Latin word “Italia”.
11. Kappa (Κ,κ)
The tenth letter of the Greek alphabet is named “Kappa”. Its uppercase form is written like the English uppercase K, and the lowercase form a smaller form of it. The letter kappa is the sixth of the Greek consonants, and is pronounced with the sound of the classical K, as in “king”.
12. Lambda (Λ,λ)
The eleventh letter of the Greek alphabet is named “Lamb-da”. Its uppercase form is written like an upside-down uppercase V, and the lowercase form is unique and must be memorized. The letter lambda is the seventh of the Greek consonants, and is pronounced with the sound of the classical L, as in “love”.
13. Mu (Μ,μ)
The twelfth letter of the Greek alphabet is named “Mu”. Its uppercase form is written like an uppercase M, and the lowercase form is unique and must be memorized. The letter mu is the eighth of the Greek consonants, and is pronounced with the sound of the classical M, as in “man”.
14. Nu (Ν,ν)
The thirteenth letter of the Greek alphabet is named “Nu”. Its uppercase form is written like an uppercase English N, and the lowercase form is like a lowercase English V. The letter nu is the ninth of the Greek consonants, and is pronounced with the sound of the classical N, as in “nun”.
15. Xi (Ξ,ξ)
The fourteenth letter of the Greek alphabet is named “XI”, pronounced, “ksee”. Its uppercase form is written with three horizontal lines, and the lowercase form is unique and must be memorized. The letter xi is the tenth of the Greek consonants, and is pronounced with the double consonant sound of classical X, as in “box”.
16. Omicron (Ο,ο)
The fifteenth letter of the Greek alphabet is named “O-micron”, which means “small O”. Its uppercase and lowercase forms are written like the English letter O. The letter Omicron is the fifth of the Greek vowels, and is pronounced with the short Classical O sound, as in the Latin word “bonus”.
17. Pi (Π,π)
The sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet is named “Pi”. It’s proper pronunciation is like “pee”, but it is commonly pronounced like “pie” in English. Its uppercase and lowercase forms are unlike any English letters and must be memorized. The letter pi is the eleventh of the Greek consonants, and is pronounced with the sound of the classical P, as in “Pope”.
18. Rho (Ρ,ρ)
The seventeenth letter of the Greek alphabet is named “Rho”. Its uppercase form is written like an uppercase English P (which can be confusing), and the lowercase form is like a lower case P, but rounded on top. The letter rho is the twelfth of the Greek consonants, and is pronounced with the trilled sound of the classical R, as in “Roma”. It is acceptable for young students to pronounce the letter rho with the sound of the English R.
19. Sigma (Σ,σ,ς)
The eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet is named “Sig-ma”. Its forms are unlike any English letters and must be memorized. It must be noted that there are two lowercase forms. the second form is called “final sigma” and is only used at the end of words. The other lowercase form is used in all other places. The letter sigma is the thirteenth of the Greek consonants, and is pronounced with the sound of the classical S, as in “saint”.
20. Tau (Τ,τ)
The nineteenth letter of the Greek alphabet is named Tau”, pronounced like the “two” in “towel”. Its uppercase form is written like an uppercase English T, but the lowercase form is unlike any English letter and must be memorized. The letter tau is the fourteenth of the Greek consonants, and is pronounced with the sound of the classical T, as in “time”.
21. Upsilon (Υ,υ)
The twentieth letter of the Greek alphabet is named “U-psilon”, which means “simple U”. Its uppercase form is like that of the uppercase English Y, and its lowercase form is like that of the lowercase English letter U. The letter Upsilon is the sixth of the Greek vowels, and is pronounced with a sound not used in English, by rounding the lips tightly while making the sound of the classical vowel I inside the mouth. This sound requires practice and students can simply read it as classical “U” until the sound is mastered.
22. Phi (Φ,φ)
The twenty-first letter of the Greek alphabet is named “Phi”. This letter is commonly called “fi” as in “file” in English, but it’s true name is pronounced like “pee” with a rough breath after the “p”– “p-hee”. Its forms are unlike any English letters and must be memorized. The letter Phi is the fifteenth of the Greek consonants, and is pronounced as a double consonant, combining the sounds of English P and H, as the “ph” in “uphold”. English students, however, commonly pronounce this letter as the English “F”.
23. Chi (Χ,χ)
The twenty-second letter of the Greek alphabet is named “Chi”. This letter is commonly called “ki” as in “kind” in English, but it’s true name is pronounced like “key” with a rough breath after the “k”– “k-hee”. Its uppercase form is like the uppercase English X, but the lowercase form is unlike any English letters and must be memorized. The letter Chi is the sixteenth of the Greek consonants, and is pronounced as a double consonant, combining the sounds of English C and H, as the “ch” in “chorus”, not as “ch” in “church”.
24. Psi (Ψ,ψ)
The twenty-third letter of the Greek alphabet is named “Psi”. This letter is commonly called “psi” as in “upside” in English, but it’s true name is pronounced like “psy” in “dropsy”. Its forms are unlike any English letters and must be memorized. The letter Psi is the seventeenth and final of the Greek consonants, and is pronounced as a double consonant, combining the sounds of English P and S, as the “ps” in “lips”.
25. Omega (Ω,ω)
The twenty-fourth and final letter of the Greek alphabet is named “O-mega”, which means “great O”. Its forms are unlike and English letters and must be memorized. The letter Omega is the seventh and final of the Greek vowels, and is pronounced with the long Classical O sound, as in the Latin word “Roma”.