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ALPHABET LETTERS & SYMBOLS

Greek Alphabet Letters &

Symbols
The Greek alphabet in an ancient writing
system first developed around 1000 BCE.
However, its letters remain prevalent today.
Throughout history, letters of the Greek
alphabet evolved to represent many things.
The alphabet is a staple in the “Greek
System” of American universities, scientific
naming schemes, modern military
communications, and more.

The alphabet holds great significance. Not

only is it commonly used in many forms today,
but it either directly or indirectly influenced all
modern European alphabets. That includes
the Latin alphabet of the Western world.

The origins of the Greek alphabet come from

the North Semitic alphabet. The Phoenicians
took inspiration from the North Semitic
alphabet to create their own writing system.
The Greeks then modified the Phoenician
alphabet to make writing a non-Semitic
language more efficient and accurate. Greeks
did this by adding new letters and removing
others.

For example, the Greek alphabet turned

Semitic symbols representing consonants into
those denoted vowel sounds. The introduction
of vowels was a game-changer increasing the
overall legibility of the new non-Semitic writing
system.

Greeks separated the new alphabet into two

branches during the early stages of adoption.
Around the 5th century BCE, there was the
Ionic Greek alphabet and the Chalcidian
Greek Alphabet. The branches belonged to
eastern and western Greece, respectively.

The Chalcidian Greek alphabet of the west

paved the way for the Etruscan alphabet of
Italy. As a result, it’s considered an indirect
ancestor of the Latin alphabet.

The Ionic Greek alphabet became the official

writing system for Athens in 403 BCE. During
the next five decades, its adoption spread. It
replaced all other versions, including
Chalcidian. Thus, the Ionic script became the
classical Greek alphabet.

The Greek alphabet consists of 24 letters.

Seven of the 24 letters are vowels. Ancient
Greeks also had lowercase and uppercase
characters. Furthermore, the alphabet had
different scripts. These included uncial,
cursive, and minuscule. Uncial dropped out of
favor, allowing the modern Greek handwriting
form to prominence.

The Classical Greek

Alphabet In Order
Below is a table that indicates the Classical
Greek alphabet in order.

GREEK
UPPERCASE LOWERCASE ENGLISH
LETTER
LETTER LETTER EQUIVALENT
NAME

Alpha Α α a

Beta Β β b

Gamma Γ γ g

Delta Δ δ d

Epsilon Ε ε e

Zeta Ζ ζ z

Eta Η η h

Theta Θ θ th

Iota Ι ι i

Kappa Κ κ k

Lambda Λ λ l

Mu Μ μ m

Nu Ν ν n

Xi Ξ ξ x

Omicron Ο ο o

Pi Π π p

Rho Ρ ρ r

Sigma Σ σ/ς s

Tau Τ τ t

Upsilon Υ υ u

Phi Φ φ ph

Chi Χ χ ch

Psi Ψ ψ ps

Omega Ω ω o

Classical Greek Numerals

Below is a table that indicates the Classical
Greek numerals.

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GREEK  ARABIC 

α′ 1

β′ 2

γ′ 3

δ′ 4

ε′ 5

ζ′ 6

ξ′ 7

η′ 8

θ′ 9

ι′ 10

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Modern Greek Alphabet

Below is a table that indicates the modern
Greek alphabet

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LOWER ENGLISH
CAPITAL COMBINATIONS NAME
CASE EQUIVALENTS

A α, α* álfa a

αι e

αï ai

αυ av/af

αϋ ai

Β β víta v

Γ γ ghámma gh before α, ο,

ου, ω, and

consonants

other than γ, ξ,

and χ, y before

αι, ε, ει, η, ι,

οι, υ, υι; n

before γ, ξ, and

γκ initial, g;

medial, ng

Δ δ, ∂* dhélta dh; d between

ν and ρ

Ε ε épsilon e

ει i

εï eï

ευ ev/ef

Ζ ζ zíta z

Η η íta i

ηυ iv/if

Θ θ, ϑ* thíta th

Ι ι ióta i

Κ κ káppa k

Λ λ lámbdha l

Μ μ mi m

μπ initial, b;

medial, mb

Ν ν ni n

ντ initial, d;

medial, nd

ντζ ntz

Ξ ξ xi x

Ο ο ómikron o

οι i

οï oi

ου u

Π π pi p

Ρ ρ ro r

Σ σ*** sígma s

Τ τ taf t

Υ υ ípsilon i initially and

between

consonants

υι i

Φ , * fi f

Χ χ khi kh

Ψ ψ psi ps

Ω ω oméga o

Alpha – Α α
The first letter of the Greek alphabet is Alpha.
Because it starts the entire writing system,
Alpha often signifies the first or the best in a
group.

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For example, game and software developers

use it to represent the first testing stage. It’s
also common in science and medicine. You
might see it used to describe the first variant of
a virus or the most essential element of a
scientific concept.

Alpha even appears in different faiths across

the world. In the bible, God is referred to as
the “Alpha and the Omega.” Generally, the
interpretation is that God is both the beginning
and end of all things.

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Beta – Β β
Beta is the second letter of the Greek
alphabet. It has a numerical value of two and
often represents an item that’s second in a line
of concession. The term “Beta” is often used in
slang to represent someone less than an
Alpha. It may also describe second versions of
concepts in science. For example, a Beta
variant of a virus will come after the Alpha.

In software development, Beta is a term that

represents the second stage of testing after
the Alpha. You might also hear the letter used
in physics, aerodynamics, and even finance.

Gamma – Γ γ
Gamma has a numerical value of three. The
approximate Western equivalent of Gamma is
a hard “G” sound. It can also take the place of
the “ng” sound that end words like “sing” or
“belong.”

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Once again, this letter is frequently utilized in

science and physics. The most popular use
describes the smallest wavelengths in the
electromagnetic spectrum: Gamma rays. The
lowercase Gamma letter is also the symbol for
photon particles, motor neurons, and more. It
represents many concepts, including the
active coefficient in thermodynamics, the
gyromagnetic ratio in electromagnetism, and
the Lorentz factor in the Theory of Relativity.

Delta – Δ δ
The fourth letter in the Greek alphabet is
Delta. The capital Delta symbol is a triangle.
As a result, the term “Delta” was used to
describe many phenomena with a similar
shape. The most recognizable is a river delta.

In the realm of mathematics, Delta plays a big

part in calculus. It’s an auxiliary function and
represents the change of a variable value. In
chemistry, Delta is predominantly used to
show the shift of nuclear magnetic resonance.

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Delta also appears in writing. Proofreaders

typically use the uppercase Delta symbol to
indicate text that needs deletion.

Epsilon – Ε ε
Epsilon in the Greek alphabet is the equivalent
of the letter “E” in Western European
alphabets. Both the uppercase and the
lowercase symbols even look like the letter
“E.”

There are many uses of the Epsilon letter. In

computer science, the lowercase symbol
represents an empty string. Meanwhile, it’s
used for the degree of error in statistics.

Epsilon is important in astronomy, too. The

letter lends its name to the most visible ring of
Uranus. It also indicates the axial tilt of
planetary bodies in space.

Zeta – Ζ ζ
The sixth letter of the Greek alphabet is Zeta,
but it has a numeric value of seven. The
modern pronunciation is similar to the letter
“Z.” The same goes for its uppercase symbol
appearance. However, the ancient
pronunciation of Zeta is closer to the sound of
“sd.” For example, the middle of the word
“wisdom.”

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Zeta is most often used to represent the

damping ratio in physics and engineering. It’s
also the symbol of equilibrium computations.
For mathematics, Zeta is a prominent symbol
in the Riemann Zeta function and the
Weierstrass Zeta function.

Like other letters, Zeta is also used in many

naming conventions. One famous example
was the tropical storm Zeta in 2005. It became
the 30th storm of the season.

Eta – Η η
Next is Eta. It has a numerical value of eight
and is the seventh letter of the Greek
alphabet. The original Greek alphabet had a
different letter in Eta’s position, but it was
phased out in the transition to Ionic script
across Greece.

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