The charts below show the way in which the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) represents Ancient Greek and Modern Greek pronunciations in Wikipedia articles. Today, pronunciation of Ancient Greek is mostly based on Erasmian pronunciation. However, native Greek speakers use Modern Greek pronunciations for Ancient Greek words and phrases.
See Ancient Greek phonology and Modern Greek phonology for a more thorough look at the sounds of these languages.
Consonants | Greek alphabet | IPA | Examples | English equivalent for Modern Greek | Anc. | Mod. | ῾ | h | ∅ | ἥρως [hɛ̌ːrɔːs], [ˈiros] | hero | β | b | v | βίος [ˈvios] | vet | γ | ɡ | ɣ | γάλα [ˈɣala] | | ʝ[1] | γη [ʝi] | yellow | δ | d | ð | δημοκρατία [ðimokraˈtia] | then | ζ | d͡z[2] | z | ζώνη [ˈzoni] | zero | θ | tʰ | θ | θεολογία [θe̞oloˈʝia] | thing | κ | k | k | καλός [kaˈlos] | sky | c[1] | κύκλος [ˈciklos] | somewhat like key | λ | l | l | λεξικό [le̞ksiˈko] | lie | ʎ[3] | ελιά [e̞ˈʎa] | million | μ | m | m | μηχανικός [mixaniˈkos] | mine | ν | n | n | νέος [ˈne̞os] | nine | ɲ[3] | νιότη [ˈɲoti] | onion | ξ | ks | ξενοφοβία [kse̞nofoˈvia] | tax | π | p | πρόγραμμα [ˈproɣrama] | spy | ρ | r | r[4] | ρητορική [ritoriˈci] | trilled r, as in Italian and Spanish | ῥ | r̥[5] | | σ[6] | s | σύστημα [ˈsistima] | sea | τ | t | τηλέφωνο [tiˈle̞fono] | step | φ | pʰ | f | φαινόμενο [fe̞ˈnome̞no] | fly | χ | kʰ | x | χάος [ˈxaos] | loch (Scottish) | ç[1] | χειρόγραφος [çiˈroɣrafos] | (often) human | ψ | ps | ψυχοθεραπεία [psixoθe̞raˈpia] | tips | γγ | | ŋɡ, ŋɣ[7] | αγγούρι [aŋˈguri]/συγγραφέας [siŋɣraˈfe̞as] | finger | ɲɟ, ŋʝ[1][7] | άγγελος [ˈaɲɟe̞los]/εγγενής [eɲʝe̞ˈnis] | angel | γκ | | ɡ, ŋɡ[7] | εγκώμιο [e̞ŋˈgomio] | good, finger | ɟ, ɲɟ[1][7] | εγκυκλοπαίδεια [e̞ɲɟikloˈpe̞ðia] | argue, angular | γχ | | ŋx[7] | άγχος [ˈaŋxos] | | ɲç[1][7] | εγχείριση [e̞ɲˈçirisi] | | γξ | | ŋks | έλεγξα [ˈe̞le̞ŋksa] | thanks | μπ | | b, mb[7] | εμπάθεια [e̞mˈbaθia] | book, amble | ντ | | d, nd[7] | εντάξει [e̞nˈdaksi] | duck, under | τσ | | t͡s | τσάι [ˈt͡sai] | cats | τζ | | d͡z | τζαζ [ˈd͡zaz] | pads | | Vowels | Greek alphabet | IPA | Examples | English equivalent for Modern Greek | Anc. | Mod. | α | a | a | αλφάβητο [alˈfavito] | tar, spa | aː | | αι | ai̯, aj | e̞ | | between bet and bait | ε | e̞ | ενέργεια [e̞ˈne̞rʝia] | ει | eː | i[8][9] | ενέργεια [e̞ˈne̞rʝia] | seem | η | ɛː | ηθική [iθiˈci] | ι | i | ιστορία [istoˈria] | iː | | υ[10] | y | υγιεινή [iʝiiˈni] | yː | | οι | ɔi̯, oj | οικονομία [ikonoˈmia] | υι | ui̯ | υιός [iˈos] | ο | o | o | οργανισμός [orɣanizˈmos] | hope | ω | ɔː | ώρα [ˈora] | αυ | au̯ | av, af | αύρα [ˈavra] /αυθεντικός [afθendiˈkos] | [a] then [v] / [f] | ευ | eu̯ | e̞v, e̞f | ευρώπη [e̞vˈropi] / ευφορία [e̞foˈria] | [e̞] then [v] / [f] | ηυ | ɛːu̯ | iv, if | εφηύρα [e̞ˈfivra] / ηυξημένος [ifksiˈme̞nos] | [i] then [v] / [f] | ου | oː | u | ουτοπία [utoˈpia] | boot | Stress and tone | IPA | Examples | | Ancient Greek | á | | Acute: High tone on short vowels | ǎː | Acute: Rising tone on long vowels and diphthongs | a | | Grave: low tone ([à]) | âː | | Circumflex: Falling tone on long vowels and diphthongs | Modern Greek | ˈa | άλλος [ˈallos] | Stress mark: placed before the stressed syllable or vowel. Represented in monotonic orthography by tonos. Occurs on one of final three syllables, including any enclitics. | |
- ↑ अ आ इ ई उ ऊ ‹γ›, ‹κ›, ‹χ›, ‹γγ›, ‹γκ›, ‹γχ› represent palatal [ʝ c ç ɲɟ ɲç] only before the front vowels [i] and [e]. The velar and palatal series series are sometimes analyzed as allophones of a single dorsal series.
- ↑ Also may have been /zd/.
- ↑ अ आ [ʎ] and [ɲ] are usually analysed as clusters of /li/ and /ni/ respectively, and are also spelled accordingly in Greek orthography. Palatalized pronunciation presupposes the presence of yet another vowel after the palatalized consonant and its following /i/. If there is no subsequent second vowel, palatalization does not occur.
- ↑ May be a tap [ɾ] intervocalically.
- ↑ May have been /rʰ/.
- ↑ ‹σ› represents [z] before [b v m r ɣ] eg: Σμήνος [ˈzminos]
- ↑ अ आ इ ई उ ऊ ए ऐ γκ, μπ, ντ usually represent [ŋg~ɲɟ mb nd] when found in the middle of a Greek word, [g~ɟ b d] when found in any foreign word or in the beginning of the a Greek one. eg: αμπέλι [amˈbe̞li], μπαμπάς [baˈbas]
- ↑ The large number of mergers into Modern Greek /i/ is called Iotacism.
- ↑ Letters normally representing /i/ can also indicate a palatal pronunciation of dorsal consonants when appearing before other vowels: i.e instead of velar [ɣ k x ɡ], palatal [ʝ c ç ɟ] occur (eg: γιαγιά [ʝaˈʝa], κιόλας [ˈcolas], χιόνι [ˈçoni], μαγκιά [maˈɟa]. A similar process has a palatal fricative follow other consonants; [ʝ] follows voiced consonants [v b d ð z r] (eg: χέρια [ˈce̞rʝa], βαριέμαι [varˈʝe̞me̞]) and [ç] follows voiceless consonants [f p θ t s t͡s] (eg: καρφιά [karfˈça], ποιος [pços], ρεβύθια [re̞ˈviθça]). Similarly [ɲ] follows [m] under similar situations (eg: μια [mɲa], καλαμιά [kalaˈmɲa]
- ↑ When following a vowel, ‹υ› represents a pronunciation with [f] before ‹θ›, ‹κ›, ‹ξ›, ‹π›, ‹σ›, ‹τ›, ‹φ›, ‹χ›, ‹ψ›, and a pronunciation with [v] elsewhere.