The Greek alphabet
24 letters, the standard alphabet since Athens adopted the Ionic letters in 403/402 BC. Sigma has a second small form, ς, used at the end of a word. English letters are the usual way of spelling each one in our alphabet.
The Greek letters turn up all over: in math (π, Σ, θ), science (α, β and γ rays, μ for micro), college names and the roots of thousands of English words. The alphabet itself is named for its first two letters.
Many letters look like ours (A, B, E, Z, I, K, M, N, O, T), so start by sorting: the look-alikes, the false friends that look like ours but sound different (H is the vowel eta, P is r, X is ch), and the new shapes (Γ, Δ, Θ, Λ, Ξ, Π, Σ, Φ, Ψ, Ω). Then learn the order in chunks of five or so, saying the names in rhythm as a chant. Write each letter by hand as you say it: the motion, the picture and the sound together make a strong memory.
Encode make it vivid → Space bring it back on day 1, 3, 7, 21 → Retrieve pull it from your head. From the infographic Remember It on Purpose.
The Greek alphabet
| Order | Capital | Small | Name | English letters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Α | α | Alpha | a |
| 2 | Β | β | Beta | b |
| 3 | Γ | γ | Gamma | g |
| 4 | Δ | δ | Delta | d |
| 5 | Ε | ε | Epsilon | e |
| 6 | Ζ | ζ | Zeta | z |
| 7 | Η | η | Eta | ē |
| 8 | Θ | θ | Theta | th |
| 9 | Ι | ι | Iota | i |
| 10 | Κ | κ | Kappa | k |
| 11 | Λ | λ | Lambda | l |
| 12 | Μ | μ | Mu | m |
| 13 | Ν | ν | Nu | n |
| 14 | Ξ | ξ | Xi | x |
| 15 | Ο | ο | Omicron | o |
| 16 | Π | π | Pi | p |
| 17 | Ρ | ρ | Rho | r |
| 18 | Σ | σ, ς | Sigma | s |
| 19 | Τ | τ | Tau | t |
| 20 | Υ | υ | Upsilon | y (or u) |
| 21 | Φ | φ | Phi | ph |
| 22 | Χ | χ | Chi | ch (or kh) |
| 23 | Ψ | ψ | Psi | ps |
| 24 | Ω | ω | Omega | ō |
Many letters look like ours (A, B, E, Z, I, K, M, N, O, T), so start by sorting: the look-alikes, the false friends that look like ours but sound different (H is the vowel eta, P is r, X is ch), and the new shapes (Γ, Δ, Θ, Λ, Ξ, Π, Σ, Φ, Ψ, Ω). Then learn the order in chunks of five or so, saying the names in rhythm as a chant. Write each letter by hand as you say it: the motion, the picture and the sound together make a strong memory. · teddyrookbook.com/memory/challenges/greek-alphabet/
Sources
Checked October 30, 2026. Progress is kept on this device only (per learner). More lists: all memory challenges · memory games.