Greek alphabet
The Greek alphabet is a writing system of 24 letters used to write Greek. Its letters also serve as symbols in mathematics, science, and other fields.
Greek letter names: The conventional names of the letters of the Greek alphabet, such as alpha, beta, and gamma. Each letter has a spoken name that is also used when identifying its symbols.
Phoenician alphabet: An ancient consonantal writing system used by Phoenician-speaking peoples around the Mediterranean. Greek letter forms and order derive substantially from this earlier alphabet.
Greek letters in mathematics: The use of Greek letters to denote mathematical quantities, functions, constants, and structures. Mathematics uses the alphabet to distinguish variables and concepts from Latin-letter notation.
Latin alphabet: The alphabet used to write Latin and many modern languages, including English. Its letter forms overlap with Greek-derived symbols, but it is a distinct writing system.
Greek diacritics: Marks added to Greek letters to indicate features such as accent, breathing, or vowel length. They show how written Greek conveys pronunciation beyond its basic letters.
Greek alphabet history: The development of Greek writing from its early adoption of Phoenician signs to later standardized forms. Its stages explain how the present 24-letter inventory emerged.
Greek letters in physics: The use of Greek letters as symbols for physical quantities, particles, and parameters. Physics assigns familiar letters to quantities such as wavelength and angular frequency.
Cyrillic script: A writing system used for many Slavic and other languages, developed in the First Bulgarian Empire. Cyrillic incorporates numerous Greek letter forms while serving different languages.
Greek alphabet pronunciation: The spoken values assigned to Greek letters in a particular historical or modern form of Greek. Letter sounds vary across Greek’s history, even when the alphabet’s names remain familiar.
Greek alphabet vowels: Greek letters used to represent vowel sounds, including signs adapted from Phoenician consonant letters. Repurposing consonant signs to mark vowels was a defining change in the alphabet’s design.