Before we dive into Greek words, we need to start with the building blocks: the alphabet. Many of these letters might look familiar. After all, the word "alphabet" itself comes from the first two Greek letters, alpha and beta.

Learning these 24 letters is the most important first step. Once you know them, you can pronounce almost any Greek word you see. The Greek language is highly phonetic, which means the letters you see are the sounds you say. Let's get started.

We can break the alphabet into three groups to make it easier to learn. First up are the letters that look and sound almost exactly like their English counterparts. You already know these.

A quick note on Beta (β). In ancient Greek, it had a 'b' sound, but in modern Greek, it's a 'v' sound. This is a key difference to remember.

Next are the letters that look familiar but make a different sound than you'd expect. These are the trickiest ones, so pay close attention.

Finally, we have the letters that will likely look completely new. Take your time to get to know their shapes and sounds.

Greek has seven vowels: α, ε, η, ι, ο, υ, ω. As you saw, three of them (η, ι, υ) make the exact same 'ee' sound. The other two (ο, ω) both make an 'o' sound.

Sometimes, two vowels team up to create a single new sound. These pairs are called diphthongs. They are very common, and learning them now will make reading much easier.

Let's review the letters we've learned.

Now, let's see what you remember with a few questions.

Great job. Getting comfortable with the alphabet is the biggest hurdle. Once you have it down, the rest of the language starts to open up.