Written by Themios Harmantzis
The good news first
Greek is close to phonetic. A letter almost always makes the same sound, so once you know the rules you can read a word you have never seen and say it correctly. The work is small and finite: learn the few sounds below and your accent stops sounding like a tourist reading a phrasebook.
Video lesson
4 Greek sounds English has no letter for
θ, δ, γ and χ, each with a word you will hear in Greece. 53 seconds.
Read it aloud
χταπόδι
χταπόδι means octopus. Say it khta-PO-dhee.
Transcript
- ENGreek has four sounds that English has no letter for. Theta is the th in thin.
- ΕΛθάλασσα.
- ENDelta is the th in this. Not a d.
- ΕΛδέντρο.
- ENGamma is a soft g, from the back of the throat.
- ΕΛγάλα.
- ENAnd before e or i, it turns into a y.
- ΕΛγεια.
- ENChi is a rough h, like a gentle clearing of the throat.
- ΕΛχωριό.
- ENYour turn. Two of today's sounds are in this word.
- ΕΛχταπόδι.
- ENOctopus. That's a list worth saving. At Ellinica dot com, you can sign up and create your own Greek story.
Practice these in a short Greek story on any topic you like.
Try a storyThe sounds English speakers get wrong
These six are worth practising out loud. Most beginners guess them from the way the letters look and land on the wrong sound. The two that matter most are θ and δ, English writes both as "th", but Greek keeps them apart.
| Letter | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|
| θ | th as in think (hard) | θάλασσα (THA-la-sa, sea) |
| δ | th as in this (soft) | δέντρο (DHEN-dro, tree) |
| γ | a soft throaty g, like Spanish agua | γάλα (GHA-la, milk); before e or i, like y in yes |
| χ | like the ch in Scottish loch | χαρά (ha-RA, joy) |
| ρ | a lightly tapped or rolled r | ρόδα (RO-dha, wheel) |
| β | v, never b | βιβλίο (vi-VLI-o, book) |
Five pure vowels, no more
English has a dozen shifting vowel sounds. Greek has five, and they stay put. A vowel does not glide or soften near the end of a word the way it does in English, so you say each one fully and cleanly.
| Letters | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|
| α | a as in father | μαμά |
| ε | e as in bet | πέντε |
| η ι υ | i as in machine | μίλι |
| ο ω | o as in got | μόνο |
| ου | u as in food | ούζο |
Sounds that are not there
It also helps to know what Greek does not have. There is no "sh", no "j" as in jam, and no hard English "h". When you see β your instinct will say "b", but it is always "v".
Practice with your ears, not just your eyes
The fastest fix for pronunciation is to read a sentence while you hear it. Start with the alphabet, then vowel combinations. When you are ready, read an A1 story with read-aloud audio and copy what you hear.
Generate your first story