Modern Greek pronunciation is regular and mostly phonetic. Once you learn the core sounds, you can read almost any Greek word confidently. This guide explains the key rules in simple English.
Vowels
Greek has 5 basic vowel sounds, but several letters produce the same sound.
- Α / α — “a” as in father
- Ε / ε — “e” as in bed
- Ι / ι — “ee” as in see
- Ο / ο — “o” as in hop
- Υ / υ — same as “ee” (identical to ι in modern Greek)
- Ω / ω — “o”, slightly more open (like “awe”), but often same as ο
Vowel combinations (many sound the same)
- αι — pronounced like “e” in bed (e.g. και → “ke”)
- ει, οι, η, ι, υ — all pronounced “ee”
- ου — “oo” as in food
Diphthongs with changing sounds
- αυ — pronounced “av” before voiced sounds, “af” before unvoiced sounds
e.g. αυγό → “av-gó”, αυτό → “af-tó” - ευ — same rule: “ev” or “ef” depending on next letter
e.g. Ευχαριστώ → “ef-cha-ris-TO”
Consonants
- Β / β — “v” (NOT “b”)
- Γ / γ — soft “gh” like French “r”, or “y” before e/i
e.g. γεια → “ya” - Δ / δ — “th” as in the
- Θ / θ — “th” as in think
- Ρ / ρ — tapped or slightly rolled “r”
- Λ / λ — clear “l”, never dark like English “ball”
- Χ / χ — “kh”, like the “ch” in Bach
- Ψ / ψ — “ps”, both sounds pronounced
- Ξ / ξ — “ks”
Double consonants
- μπ — “b” at the start of words, “mb” inside words
- ντ — “d” at the start, “nd” inside words
- γκ / γγ — “g” or “ng” depending on position
The Accent Mark
Greek places a single accent ( ´ ) on the stressed syllable of most words. This is essential for correct pronunciation.
- καλημέρα → ka-li-mé-ra
- νερό → ne-ró
- καφές → ka-fés
Special Notes
- σ becomes ς at the end of a word
- Greek is very phonetic — once you know the rules, reading is straightforward
- Letters never change shape based on context (unlike cursive forms in some languages)
Examples
- Ελλάδα → “e-LA-tha” (Greece)
- Αθήνα → “a-THEE-na” (Athens)
- Χάρηκα → “HA-ri-ka” (Nice to meet you)
- ευχαριστώ → “ef-cha-ris-TO” (Thank you)