Accents and Breathing Marks

Greek uses diacritical marks to indicate stress (which syllable to emphasise) and, historically, aspiration (a breathy "h" sound). Understanding these marks is essential for correct pronunciation and reading.

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The Modern Accent: Tonos (Τόνος)

In Modern Greek, only one accent mark is used: the tonos (΄), which looks like a small acute accent placed above a vowel. It indicates which syllable receives the stress.

Rule	Example	Meaning
Words of 2+ syllables get a tonos	πόλη (PO-lee)	city
The tonos can be on the last, second-to-last, or third-to-last syllable	άνθρωπος (AN-thro-pos)	human
One-syllable words usually have no tonos	και (ke)	and
The tonos is placed above the vowel of the stressed syllable	μουσική (moo-see-KEE)	music

Stress matters! Changing the accent can change the meaning:

  πότε (PO-te) = when?
  ποτέ (po-TE) = never

  νόμος (NO-mos) = law
  νομός (no-MOS) = prefecture / county

Tip: Always pay attention to the accent mark — it is not optional. Greek words can change meaning entirely based on which syllable is stressed.

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Where to Place the Tonos

The tonos can only appear on one of the last three syllables of a word. Greek has specific rules:

Position	Greek Term	Example
Last syllable	Οξύτονη (oxytone)	μαμά (ma-MA) — mum
Second-to-last	Παροξύτονη (paroxytone)	πόλη (PO-lee) — city
Third-to-last	Προπαροξύτονη (proparoxytone)	άνθρωπος (AN-thro-pos) — human

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Tonos on Digraphs

When a digraph carries the accent, the tonos is placed on the second letter of the digraph:

Digraph	Accented Form	Example
αι	αί	παίζω (pezo — "I play")
ει	εί	είναι (eeneh — "is/are")
οι	οί	οίκος (eekos — "house")
ου	ού	ουρανός (ooranos — "sky")

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Tonos on Uppercase Letters

When a word begins with an accented uppercase vowel, the tonos is placed before the capital letter (or sometimes above it, depending on the font):

Ά, Έ, Ή, Ί, Ό, Ύ, Ώ

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Historical Breathing Marks (Πνεύματα)

Before 1982, Greek used a more complex system called the polytonic system, which included:

Mark	Name	Greek Name	Meaning
̔	Rough breathing	Δασεία	An "h" sound before the vowel
̓	Smooth breathing	Ψιλή	No "h" sound
΄	Acute accent	Οξεία	High pitch (stress)
`	Grave accent	Βαρεία	Low pitch
˜	Circumflex	Περισπωμένη	Rising-falling pitch

Polytonic example (pre-1982):
  ἄνθρωπος  (smooth breathing + acute accent on α)

Monotonic equivalent (modern):
  άνθρωπος  (just the tonos)