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What is the Greek alphabet used for?
When was the Greek alphabet first used?
What are Greek letters used for Today?
How many letters are in the Greek alphabet?
The Greek alphabet has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early 8th century BC. [3][4] It is derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet, [5] and was the earliest known alphabetic script to have distinct letters for vowels as well as consonants.
Learn about the Greek alphabet, the first writing system with separate symbols for vowels and consonants. Find out the names, pronunciation, numeric value and more of each letter from Alpha to Omega.
Learn the 24 letters of the Greek alphabet, their names, and how to pronounce them in modern and ancient Greek. Find out how Greek letters are used in math, science, astronomy, and more.
- Overview
- Classical Greek alphabet
- Classical Greek numerals
- Modern Greek alphabet
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The Greek alphabet is a writing system that was developed in Greece about 1000 BCE. It is the direct or indirect ancestor of all modern European alphabets. It was derived from the North Semitic alphabet via that of the Phoenicians.
How is the Greek alphabet used today?
The Greek alphabet is still used for the Greek language today. The letters of the Greek alphabet are now also used as symbols for concepts in equations of the interrelated fields of mathematics and science—for example, the lowercase alpha (⍺) can be used to represent an angle in mathematics.
Is the Greek alphabet the same as the Cyrillic alphabet?
The Greek alphabet is not the same as the Cyrillic alphabet. But the Cyrillic alphabet was heavily based upon the Greek alphabet, so the two writing systems resemble each other. The Cyrillic alphabet was created during the Middle Ages, and it includes additional letters to account for the sounds which Slavic languages use that aren’t present in Greek. The Cyrillic alphabet is now also used for non-Slavic languages, such as Kyrgyz and Tajik.
Why was the Greek alphabet a significant development?
The table indicates the Classical Greek alphabet.
The table indicates the Classical Greek numerals.
The table indicates the Modern Greek alphabet.
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Learn about the Greek alphabet, the writing system that was developed in Greece about 1000 BCE and is the ancestor of all modern European alphabets. See the Classical, Modern, and numeral forms of the Greek alphabet, as well as their equivalents and pronunciation.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Learn how to pronounce and use the Greek alphabet, which has 24 letters, 7 vowels and 15 consonants. Find out the origins, forms, and diacritical marks of the Greek letters and take a quiz to test your knowledge.
Learn about the history, structure, and usage of the Greek alphabet, a writing system with 24 letters. Find out how it evolved from the Phoenician alphabet, how it is pronounced, and how it is used in science and mathematics.
Learn about the history, writing systems and features of Greek, an Indo-European language spoken mainly in Greece and Cyprus. See the modern and ancient Greek alphabets, numerals, symbols and sample texts.
