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Now that you know all 24 individual letters, it is time to learn how certain letter combinations create sounds that differ from the individual letters. These combinations are essential for reading real Greek text.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Digraph | Two letters that together represent a single sound |
| Diphthong | Two vowels that together represent a single vowel sound |
In Ancient Greek, diphthongs were true gliding vowel sounds (like "oi" in English "oil"). In Modern Greek, most have simplified to single vowel sounds.
These vowel combinations produce a single sound in Modern Greek:
| Digraph | Sound | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| αι | "e" as in "bed" | και (ke) | and |
| ει | "ee" as in "see" | είναι (eeneh) | is / are |
| οι | "ee" as in "see" | οίκος (eekos) | house |
| ου | "oo" as in "food" | ουρανός (ooranos) | sky |
| υι | "ee" as in "see" | υιός (eeos) | son |
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