Noel Enete
 New Testament Greek
Alphabet Section 4


The fourth group of letters follows the English alphabet closely beginning with the letter r.
  1. rho (like r)
  2. sigma (like s)
  3. tau (like t
  4. upsilon (like u)

Rho pronunciation


This is the Greek letter for r. This is one of the most confusing Greek letters because it looks like an English p. This is one spot in the Greek alphabet that raw memory must come to your aid.
  • Pronounciation: like the r in rarity
  • Transliteration: r

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Figure 1: Rho

Sigma pronunciation


This is the letter for s. The Upper case letter is the symbol that is used for sumation notation in mathematics. The lower case letter can have two different shapes. If the sigma appears in the beginning or in the middle of a word, it is shaped like a small o with a horizontal line at the top. If the sigma appears at the end of a word, it is shaped similar to an English s except that it extends below the baseline.
  • Pronounciation: like the s in success
  • Transliteration: s

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Figure 2: Sigma

Tau pronunciation


This is the Greek letter for t. It looks like a small version of the capital T, in English, except that it has a small hook on the bottom like the iota.
  • Pronounciation: like the t in tight
  • Transliteration: t

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Figure 3: Tau

Upsilon pronunciation


In most ways, this letter is like the English u. It is pronounced with a sound like the oo in cool. But when it appears after the vowels alpha, epsilon, or omicron, the sound of the two vowels are blended into one sound. When two vowels form a single sound, they are considered a single unit and are called a dipthong. In the case of a dipthong, upsilon is transliterated with an English u.
  • Pronounciation: like the oo in cool
  • Transliteration: y (when used in a dipthong use u)

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Figure 4: Upsilon


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