Stress Marks & Rhythm
By the end of this lesson, you can identify the stressed syllable in a spoken Greek word, place the tonos correctly in writing, and read short texts aloud with correct stress.
Every Greek word of more than one syllable has exactly one stressed syllable, and that syllable is marked in writing with the tonos (΄). The tonos is part of the spelling of every word written in lowercase or with an initial capital. Words written entirely in capitals, as on shop signs, leave it out.
The tonos
The tonos appears over the stressed vowel of any word with more than one syllable.
| Word | Syllables | Stress | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| νερό | νε · ρό | last | water |
| πόλη | πό · λη | first | city |
| καλημέρα | κα · λη · μέ · ρα | third | good morning |
| εστιατόριο | ε · στι · α · τό · ρι · ο | fourth | restaurant |
The stress never falls further back than the third-to-last syllable.
Words with a single syllable carry no tonos unless they need to be distinguished from another word spelled with the same letters. For example, ή (or) vs η (the).
When the stressed vowel is a capital letter, the tonos goes before it and above it: Έχει (he/she has), Άγιος (Saint).
Words written entirely in capitals take no tonos, so a shop sign reads ΦΑΡΜΑΚΕΙΟ (pharmacy), not ΦΑΡΜΑΚΕΊΟ.
Listen and find the stress
Each clip plays a word. Tap the syllable where the stress falls.
Ready to practise?
10 questions to go
When stress changes meaning
Moving the stress to a different syllable can produce a completely different word. Greek is stress-sensitive in a way that English mostly is not.
| Word | Stress | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| πότε | first syllable | when |
| ποτέ | last syllable | never |
| νόμος | first syllable | law |
| νομός | last syllable | prefecture (district) |
| άλλα | first syllable | other things |
| αλλά | last syllable | but |
Minimal pair listening
Each clip contains two words spoken one after the other. Select the word that was said first.
Ready to practise?
6 questions to go
The diaeresis
The diaeresis (¨) is the second mark you will see in Modern Greek. It appears over ι or υ when those letters follow another vowel and form a separate syllable rather than merging into a diphthong.
| Without diaeresis | With diaeresis |
|---|---|
| ναι — one syllable (αι is a diphthong) | — |
| κοιτάζω — κοι is one sound | Μαΐος — Μα · ΐ · ος (three syllables) |
| — | μαϊμού — μα · ϊ · μού (three syllables) |
A tonos on the first vowel of the pair already splits it, so no diaeresis is needed: κορόιδο (κο · ρό · ι · δο), τσάι, ρολόι. When the stress falls on the ι itself, write ΐ, as in Μαΐος (May).
The diaeresis appears in a small set of common words. You will encounter it often enough to recognise it quickly.
Diaeresis or diphthong?
Listen to each word. Does the ι or υ form its own syllable, or does it merge with the vowel before it?
Ready to practise?
5 questions to go
A note on punctuation
Almost all Greek punctuation is identical to English. One mark differs in a way that matters immediately.
The question mark: Greek uses the semicolon character (;) where English uses ?.
Τι κάνεις; — “How are you?” (the
;is the question mark, not a pause)
You will also see quotation marks written as «…» in published Greek. Regular quotation marks ”…” are equally acceptable in everyday writing and are what this course uses.
Place the stress mark
Each word below is missing its tonos. Tap the syllable where the stress falls.
Ready to practise?
15 questions to go
Read and observe
Read the passage below carefully before the speaking section. All stress marks are included.
Read the passage carefully. All stress marks are included. Then answer the question below.
1. How many words in this passage carry the stress on the last syllable?
When stress matters in real life
Read the two exchanges below and match each highlighted word to its meaning.
Exchange A: — Πότε φεύγεις; / — Αύριο! Exchange B: — Πίνεις καφέ; / — Ποτέ! Μόνο τσάι.
Click an item on the left, then click the matching item on the right.
Word
Meaning
Correct the stress marks
The paragraph below has six words with the tonos in the wrong position. Each blank replaces one incorrectly stressed word — the hint shows the wrong form. Type the correct spelling.
Ready to practise?
6 gaps to fill
Find the stress marks
Listen to each word and type it in Greek script. Include the correct tonos.
Dictation
6 words — listen and type what you hear
Listen to each word and type it in Greek script — including the correct tonos. Use the slow replay if you need it.
Stress the right syllable
Say each word in the prompt aloud, one at a time. For each pair, the only difference is where the stress falls — make it clear in your recording.
Record yourself saying all six words below — one at a time, in order. Stress the correct syllable in each word.
Say each word aloud: πότε — ποτέ — νόμος — νομός — άλλα — αλλά
For each pair, the only difference is where the stress falls. Say them slowly enough that the stress is clear. You can pause between words.
What AI will check
- ○ Stresses the first syllable in πότε (when)
- ○ Stresses the last syllable in ποτέ (never)
- ○ Stresses the first syllable in νόμος (law)
- ○ Stresses the last syllable in νομός (district)
- ○ Stresses the first syllable in άλλα (other things)
- ○ Stresses the last syllable in αλλά (but)
Read the passage aloud
Read the passage from the Reading section as a single continuous recording.
Read the passage aloud as a single continuous recording. Try to stress the correct syllable in every word.
Read aloud: Αθήνα — η πόλη της ιστορίας. Φαρμακείο, εστιατόριο, ταβέρνα — τα πάντα είναι εδώ. Από το πρωί ως τη νύχτα, η πόλη δεν σταματά. Ελάτε και δείτε μόνοι σας.
Read at a comfortable pace — slower than you think you need to.
What AI will check
- ○ Stresses the second syllable in Αθήνα (α · θή · να)
- ○ Stresses the first syllable in πόλη (πό · λη)
- ○ Stresses the fourth syllable in εστιατόριο (ε · στι · α · τό · ρι · ο)
- ○ Stresses the first syllable in πάντα (πά · ντα)
- ○ Stresses the last syllable in εδώ (ε · δώ)
- ○ Stresses the last syllable in πρωί (πρω · ί)
- ○ Stresses the last syllable in σταματά (στα · μα · τά)
- ○ Reads as connected speech rather than isolated words