The Fascinating World of Upper and Lower Case Greek Letters
The Greek alphabet has 24 letters, each with an uppercase and a lowercase form — 48 characters in total, plus one extra: sigma has a second lowercase form used at the end of a word. The full table is below, with names, pronunciation, Unicode codepoints, HTML entities and what each letter means in science.
Converting text rather than symbols? The free case converter switches any text between UPPERCASE, lowercase, Title Case and nine more styles — and leaves Greek characters that have no case change untouched.
The complete Greek alphabet, upper and lower case
| Upper | Lower | Name | Pronounced | Unicode | HTML |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Α | α | Alpha | AL-fa | U+0391 / U+03B1 | Α α |
| Β | β | Beta | BAY-ta | U+0392 / U+03B2 | Β β |
| Γ | γ | Gamma | GAM-a | U+0393 / U+03B3 | Γ γ |
| Δ | δ | Delta | DEL-ta | U+0394 / U+03B4 | Δ δ |
| Ε | ε | Epsilon | EP-si-lon | U+0395 / U+03B5 | Ε ε |
| Ζ | ζ | Zeta | ZAY-ta | U+0396 / U+03B6 | Ζ ζ |
| Η | η | Eta | AY-ta | U+0397 / U+03B7 | Η η |
| Θ | θ | Theta | THAY-ta | U+0398 / U+03B8 | Θ θ |
| Ι | ι | Iota | eye-OH-ta | U+0399 / U+03B9 | Ι ι |
| Κ | κ | Kappa | KAP-a | U+039A / U+03BA | Κ κ |
| Λ | λ | Lambda | LAM-da | U+039B / U+03BB | Λ λ |
| Μ | μ | Mu | MEW | U+039C / U+03BC | Μ μ |
| Ν | ν | Nu | NEW | U+039D / U+03BD | Ν ν |
| Ξ | ξ | Xi | KSEE | U+039E / U+03BE | Ξ ξ |
| Ο | ο | Omicron | OM-i-kron | U+039F / U+03BF | Ο ο |
| Π | π | Pi | PIE | U+03A0 / U+03C0 | Π π |
| Ρ | ρ | Rho | ROW | U+03A1 / U+03C1 | Ρ ρ |
| Σ | σ ς | Sigma | SIG-ma | U+03A3 / U+03C3 / U+03C2 | Σ σ ς |
| Τ | τ | Tau | TAW | U+03A4 / U+03C4 | Τ τ |
| Υ | υ | Upsilon | OOP-si-lon | U+03A5 / U+03C5 | Υ υ |
| Φ | φ | Phi | FIE | U+03A6 / U+03C6 | Φ φ |
| Χ | χ | Chi | KIE | U+03A7 / U+03C7 | Χ χ |
| Ψ | ψ | Psi | SIGH | U+03A8 / U+03C8 | Ψ ψ |
| Ω | ω | Omega | oh-MAY-ga | U+03A9 / U+03C9 | Ω ω |
The two sigmas. Lowercase sigma is written σ inside a word and ς at the end of one. It is the only letter in the alphabet with a positional variant, and it is why Ωδυσσευς ends differently from how it begins.
Where the case changes the meaning
In mathematics and physics the two forms of a Greek letter are two different symbols. Reading one for the other changes the equation.
| Letter | Uppercase means | Lowercase means |
|---|---|---|
| Sigma | Σ — sum of a series | σ — standard deviation |
| Delta | Δ — change in a quantity | δ — an infinitesimal change |
| Pi | Π — product of a series | π — the constant 3.14159 |
| Omega | Ω — ohm, the unit of resistance | ω — angular velocity |
| Phi | Φ — magnetic flux | φ — the golden ratio, or an angle |
| Lambda | Λ — cosmological constant | λ — wavelength |
| Gamma | Γ — the gamma function | γ — the Lorentz factor |
This is the same principle that makes mV a millivolt and MV a megavolt: in scientific notation, case is not a style choice. The wider version of that idea is set out in uppercase and lowercase letters explained.
The letters that look Latin but are not
Fourteen uppercase Greek letters are visually identical to Latin capitals: Α Β Ε Ζ Η Ι Κ Μ Ν Ο Ρ Τ Υ Χ. They are still different characters with different codepoints.
That matters in practice. A search for the Latin letter A will not find the Greek Α. A password containing Greek Ο instead of Latin O will fail on a keyboard that cannot produce it. And a spreadsheet sorting a column of mixed Greek and Latin will not group them the way you expect. When a document mixes both alphabets, always type the correct character rather than the lookalike.
How to type Greek letters
| Where | Method |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Word | Type the Unicode code, e.g. 03B1, then press Alt + X |
| Word, alternative | Insert > Symbol > More Symbols, subset Greek and Coptic |
| Windows anywhere | Press Win + . and search the symbol panel |
| macOS | Press Ctrl + Cmd + Space for the character viewer |
| HTML | Use the entity: α gives α |
| LaTeX | \alpha for α, \Alpha or A for the capital |
| Excel | =UNICHAR(945) returns α; 913 returns Α |
| Google Docs | Insert > Special characters, then draw or search the name |
Case conversion and Greek
Greek letters do have case, so a converter set to UPPERCASE will turn α into Α. Two details are worth knowing:
- Final sigma normalizes. Uppercasing ς gives Σ, and lowercasing Σ gives σ rather than ς. Software cannot tell whether the letter ends a word.
- Accents are usually dropped in capitals. Modern Greek writes accents on lowercase but not on uppercase, so uppercasing accented text loses the marks. That is correct Greek typography, not a bug.
Scripts with no case at all — Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese — are returned unchanged by any correct converter, because there is nothing to convert.
Common uses at a glance
| Symbol | Field | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| π | Mathematics | Ratio of circumference to diameter |
| Σ | Mathematics | Summation |
| μ | Units, statistics | Micro prefix; population mean |
| α | Statistics | Significance level |
| β | Statistics, finance | Regression coefficient; market sensitivity |
| λ | Physics | Wavelength |
| θ | Geometry | Angle |
| Ω | Electronics | Ohm |
| ρ | Physics | Density |
| χ | Statistics | Chi in the chi-squared test |
Need to change the case of ordinary text? The upper lower case converter does UPPERCASE, lowercase, Sentence case, Title Case and eight more in one click, handles accented and non-Latin characters correctly, and counts words as you type.
Frequently asked questions
How many letters are in the Greek alphabet?
Twenty-four, each with an uppercase and a lowercase form. Sigma has two lowercase forms, one for inside a word and one for the end, giving 49 distinct characters in total.
What is the uppercase of alpha?
Α (U+0391). It is visually identical to the Latin capital A but is a different character with a different codepoint.
Why does sigma have two lowercase forms?
σ is used inside a word and ς at the end of one. It is the only Greek letter with a positional variant.
What is the difference between uppercase and lowercase sigma?
In mathematics, uppercase Σ means the sum of a series while lowercase σ means standard deviation. They are different symbols, not styling choices.
How do I type Greek letters in Word?
Type the Unicode value and press Alt + X. For example, type 03B1 then Alt + X to get α. Or use Insert > Symbol and choose the Greek and Coptic subset.
Which Greek capitals look like Latin letters?
Fourteen: Α Β Ε Ζ Η Ι Κ Μ Ν Ο Ρ Τ Υ Χ. They are separate characters despite looking identical.
Do accents disappear when Greek is uppercased?
Yes, and that is correct. Modern Greek typography writes accents on lowercase letters but omits them on capitals.
How do I get a Greek letter in Excel?
Use =UNICHAR(945) for α or =UNICHAR(913) for Α. The Greek block runs from 913 to 969 in decimal.
The short version
Twenty-four letters, two forms each, plus a final sigma. Fourteen of the capitals look exactly like Latin letters but are different characters, so type the real one. And in mathematics the case is part of the symbol: Σ sums, σ measures spread, Δ is a change and δ is an infinitesimal one.