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 pairs of letters that you read together. These fall into two groups: diphthongs (vowel pairs) and consonant clusters (two consonants that merge into one new sound).
Once you know these, you can sound out most written Greek words. The next lesson covers stress: which syllable of a word to say loudest.
Diphthongs
A diphthong is two vowels written together and read as a pair. αι, ει, οι and ου each make one vowel sound. αυ and ευ make a vowel plus a “v” or “f” 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” | πλοίο (ploio) | ship |
| 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”. The rule is regular: check the next letter.
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.
Accent marks on pairs: when a diphthong is stressed, the tonos goes on its second letter: παίζω (I play), αύριο (tomorrow). Two dots over ι or υ (a diaeresis) mean the letters are not a pair and you read each one separately: μαϊμού (monkey) is ma-i-MOO.
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. Many of the words that use them are loanwords, where Greek needed to write sounds that no single Greek letter makes.
| Cluster | Sound | Example word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| μπ | “b” as in “bar” (start of word) | μπαρ (mpar) | bar |
| ντ | “d” as in “door” (start) / “nd” (middle) | ντομάτα (ntomata) | tomato |
| γκ | “g” as in “go” | γκαράζ (gkaraz) | garage |
| γγ | “ng” as in “finger” | αγγλικά (agglika) | 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 how Greek writes “b”, “d” and hard “g”. A word that starts with one of them is usually a loanword, but not always: μπορώ (I can) is a native Greek word.
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
The words below 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 in exactly two different words in the passage?
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" (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 μια μπύρα και τζατζίκι.
The sentence means: "Tomorrow I am going to the supermarket for a beer and tzatziki." Focus on these sounds: αύ in αύριο, ου in σούπερ, μπ in μπύρα, τζ in τζατζίκι.
What AI will check
- ○ Pronounces αύ in αύριο as "av" (before a voiced sound)
- ○ Pronounces ου in σούπερ as "oo"
- ○ Pronounces μπ in μπύρα as "b"
- ○ Pronounces τζ in τζατζίκι as "dj"
- ○ Reads the sentence as a connected phrase rather than isolated words