Greek typing practice
Learn to touch type in Greek, free in your browser: lessons built from real Greek words, Greek books to type, and where every Greek letter and accent sits on the standard Greek layout.
What you can practise
Smart Lessons in Greek
Real Greek words in Greek script, built around your slowest key. You start on six keys and add a letter at a time as the others come up to speed.
The Greek alphabet
Every letter in order against the clock, with how to type each Greek letter on your keyboard.
Typing games in Greek
Pilot and Spaceship: steer through the gaps or shoot down enemy ships by typing Greek words.
6 Greek books
Classic Greek books, out of copyright, typed a passage at a time.
Greek letters
Greek has its own 24-letter alphabet, plus a final sigma, ς, at the end of a word. Modern Greek marks the stressed vowel of almost every word with one accent, the tonos: "καλημέρα" (good morning), "ευχαριστώ" (thank you), "είναι" (is). Two dots, the dialytika, show that a vowel is said on its own, as in "προϊόν" (product). Smart Lessons bring each letter in like any other.
The Greek layout sits on the Latin keys of a US or UK keyboard, mostly by sound or shape: α on A, β on B, γ on G, δ on D. A few are worth learning by heart: θ on U, ξ on J, ψ on C, ω on V and ς on W. The tonos is a dead key on ;, right of L: press it, then the vowel; Shift with ; gives the dialytika. So any US or UK keyboard types Greek once you add the Greek layout, and touch typists need no stickers.
On a Greek keyboard
Windows: Greek · macOS: Greek · Linux: Greek
Add it in Windows under Settings > Time & language > Language & region, in macOS under System Settings > Keyboard > Input Sources, in Linux under Settings > Keyboard > Input Sources.
| Letter | Windows | macOS | Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| α | ΑA | ΑA | ΑA |
| ά | ΄;then ΑA | ΄;then ΑA | ΄;then ΑA |
| β | ΒB | ΒB | ΒB |
| γ | ΓG | ΓG | ΓG |
| δ | ΔD | ΔD | ΔD |
| ε | ΕE | ΕE | ΕE |
| έ | ΄;then ΕE | ΄;then ΕE | ΄;then ΕE |
| ζ | ΖZ | ΖZ | ΖZ |
| η | ΗH | ΗH | ΗH |
| ή | ΄;then ΗH | ΄;then ΗH | ΄;then ΗH |
| θ | ΘU | ΘU | ΘU |
| ι | ΙI | ΙI | ΙI |
| ί | ΄;then ΙI | ΄;then ΙI | ΄;then ΙI |
| ϊ | Shift ΄;then ΙI | Shift ΄;then ΙI | Shift ΄;then ΙI |
| ΐ | Shift ΣWthen ΙI | Shift ΣWthen ΙI | ΄;then Shift ΄;then ΙI |
| κ | ΚK | ΚK | ΚK |
| λ | ΛL | ΛL | ΛL |
| μ | ΜM | ΜM | ΜM |
| ν | ΝN | ΝN | ΝN |
| ξ | ΞJ | ΞJ | ΞJ |
| ο | ΟO | ΟO | ΟO |
| ό | ΄;then ΟO | ΄;then ΟO | ΄;then ΟO |
| π | ΠP | ΠP | ΠP |
| ρ | ΡR | ΡR | ΡR |
| σ | ΣS | ΣS | ΣS |
| ς | ΣW | ΣW | ΣW |
| τ | ΤT | ΤT | ΤT |
| υ | ΥY | ΥY | ΥY |
| ύ | ΄;then ΥY | ΄;then ΥY | ΄;then ΥY |
| ϋ | Shift ΄;then ΥY | Shift ΄;then ΥY | Shift ΄;then ΥY |
| ΰ | Shift ΣWthen ΥY | Shift ΣWthen ΥY | ΄;then Shift ΄;then ΥY |
| φ | ΦF | ΦF | ΦF |
| χ | ΧX | ΧX | ΧX |
| ψ | ΨC | ΨC | ΨC |
| ω | ΩV | ΩV | ΩV |
| ώ | ΄;then ΩV | ΄;then ΩV | ΄;then ΩV |
Tips for typing Greek
Accent first, then the vowel
The tonos comes before its vowel, with the right little finger on ;. Ά and έ then fall to the left hand, which makes them quick; ό and ί keep the right hand busy, so practise words such as "όταν" and "ίδιο".
Learn the five odd keys
Θ on U, ξ on J, ψ on C, ω on V and ς on W are where English typists slow down. Plain σ is on S and final ς on W, so "σας" uses both.
The question mark is on Q
Greek writes its question mark as ;, and on the Greek layout it is the Q key. The ; key by L is the tonos there, so it gives an accent, not a question mark.
Accents on capitals
For an accented capital press ; then Shift with the vowel: Ά, Έ, Ή. Greek drops the tonos in all-capital text, so you need it only on a capital that starts a word, as in "Ήταν".