Diphthongs & Consonant Clusters
By the end of this lesson, you can read words containing Greek diphthongs and consonant clusters aloud with correct pronunciation.
In the previous lesson you learned the 24 individual letters of the Greek alphabet. Greek also uses combinations of letters that produce a single fused sound. These fall into two groups: diphthongs (two vowels that merge) and consonant clusters (two consonants that merge into one new sound).
Mastering these is the last step before you can decode almost any written Greek word.
Diphthongs
A diphthong is two vowels written together that produce one sound. Greek has six common diphthongs.
| Diphthong | Sound | Example word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| αι | “e” as in “bed” | παιδί (paidi) | child |
| ει | “ee” as in “feet” | εικόνα (eikona) | image |
| οι | “ee” as in “feet” | οίκος (oikos) | household |
| αυ | “av” or “af” | αύριο (avrio) | tomorrow |
| ευ | “ev” or “ef” | ευχαριστώ (efcharisto) | thank you |
| ου | “oo” as in “food” | ουρανός (ouranos) | sky |
The αυ/ευ split: Before a voiced consonant (β, γ, δ, ζ, λ, μ, ν, ρ) or a vowel, αυ sounds like “av” and ευ sounds like “ev”. Before an unvoiced consonant (θ, κ, ξ, π, σ, τ, φ, χ, ψ), they sound like “af” and “ef”. Don’t worry, you don’t need to memorise which is which for every word, that will come naturally.
ει and οι are identical: Both produce an “ee” sound in Modern Greek. You learn which spelling each word uses, as you would with “meet” and “meat” in English.
Listen and pick the right diphthong
Hear each word and select the diphthong group it contains.
Ready to practise?
10 questions to go
Consonant clusters
Greek also has six consonant clusters, pairs of letters that combine into a single new sound. Most of them appear in loanwords, where Greek needed to represent sounds the alphabet does not naturally have.
| Cluster | Sound | Example word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| μπ | “b” as in “bar” (start of word) | μπαρ (bar) | bar |
| ντ | “d” as in “door” (start) / “nd” (middle) | ντομάτα (domata) | tomato |
| γκ | “g” as in “go” | γκαράζ (garaz) | garage |
| γγ | “ng” as in “long” | αγγλικά (angliká) | English |
| τσ | “ts” as in “bits” | τσάντα (tsanta) | bag |
| τζ | “dj” as in “judge” | τζατζίκι (tzatziki) | tzatziki |
One thing to notice: μπ, ντ, and γκ are the Greek way of writing sounds that come from foreign loans. If you see μπ at the start of a word it is almost always a loanword as Greek native words do not start with a “b” sound.
Listen and pick the right cluster
Hear each word and select the consonant cluster it contains.
Ready to practise?
6 questions to go
Words you already know
Most consonant cluster words in everyday Greek are international loanwords. You already know what they mean.
Match each Greek-script word to its English equivalent. All of these are international words that Greek has borrowed.
Click an item on the left, then click the matching item on the right.
Greek
English
Spot the clusters in context
Read the passage below, then answer the questions. You do not need to understand every word, instead focus on identifying the diphthongs and clusters.
Read the passage. Then answer the questions about the diphthongs and consonant clusters it contains.
1. The word «τζατζίκι» contains the cluster τζ. How many times does τζ appear in it?
2. Which consonant cluster appears twice in the passage (in two different words)?
3. The passage contains the word «εξαιρετικό». Which diphthong is in it?
Dictation — diphthongs
Listen to each word and type it in Greek script. Use the slow replay if you need it.
Dictation
4 words — listen and type what you hear
Listen to each word and type it in Greek script. Use the slow replay if you need it.
Dictation — consonant clusters
Dictation
4 words — listen and type what you hear
Listen to each word and type it in Greek script. Use the slow replay if you need it.
Romanisation to Greek
Each line gives you a romanised word. Type it in Greek script.
Ready to practise?
12 gaps to fill
Speaking — pronounce the sounds
Read each word aloud, pausing briefly between them. The AI will transcribe what you say and check your pronunciation against the rubric.
Record yourself reading all six words aloud. Pause briefly between each one.
Read each word aloud clearly, one at a time: παιδί — εικόνα — αύριο — ουρανός — τσάντα — μπαρ
Do not rush. Say each word slowly enough that you can feel the diphthong or cluster in your mouth. You have as long as you need.
What AI will check
- ○ Pronounces αι in παιδί as a short "e" sound (not "eye")
- ○ Pronounces ει in εικόνα as "ee" (not "ey")
- ○ Pronounces αυ in αύριο as "av" or "af" (not "au" as in English "au pair")
- ○ Pronounces ου in ουρανός as "oo" (not two separate vowels)
- ○ Pronounces τσ in τσάντα as a single "ts" sound
- ○ Pronounces μπ in μπαρ as a "b" sound (not "mb")
Speaking — read a full sentence
Now try reading an entire sentence that contains several of the sounds you have been practising.
Read the sentence aloud in one go. Do not pause between words — try to read it as one continuous phrase.
Read aloud: Αύριο πάω στο σούπερ μάρκετ για τσάντα, μπαρ σοκολάτα και τζατζίκι.
The sentence means: "Tomorrow I am going to the supermarket for a bag, a bar of chocolate, and tzatziki." Focus on the underlined sounds: αύ, ου, τσ, μπ, τζ.
What AI will check
- ○ Pronounces αύ in αύριο as "av" (before a voiced sound)
- ○ Pronounces ου in σούπερ and μάρκετ as "oo"
- ○ Pronounces τσ in τσάντα as "ts"
- ○ Pronounces μπ in μπαρ as "b"
- ○ Pronounces τζ in τζατζίκι as "dj"
- ○ Reads the sentence as a connected phrase rather than isolated words