How it works
This random Greek letter generator draws one of the 24 letters from alpha to omega, with its capital, its small letter and the number it stood for in Greek numerals.
Read the full guide
Learning the alphabet
Press, say the name out loud, then write both cases before you look again. After the first press, the list beside the button keeps the draw to the 7 vowels or the 17 consonants.
Naming a team, a variable or a chapter
Set the count to 3 for a short list to choose from, then keep the one that sounds right. The card says where each letter sits in the alphabet, so beta is 2 and omega is 24.
Tips
- Sigma has two small forms: σ inside a word and ς at the end, as in the name Ὀδυσσεύς.
Questions and answers
How many letters are in the Greek alphabet?
Twenty-four, from alpha to omega. That set, the Ionic alphabet, had become standard across the Greek-speaking world by the end of the 4th century BC and is still used to write Greek today.
What is the numeral value on each card?
In Greek numerals a letter also stands for a number: alpha 1, iota 10, rho 100, omega 800. Zeta is 7, not 6, because 6 was written with a letter that has since left the alphabet.
Why do omicron and omega both look like O?
They were two different o sounds. Omicron means small o and omega means big o. In modern Greek the two are said the same way.