How to remember the autumn six letters of the Greek alphabet: Xi, omicron, Pi, Rho, Sigma, Tau

Greek alphabet
Αα	Alpha	Νν	Nu
Ββ	Beta	Ξξ	Xi
Γγ	Gamma	Οο	Omicron
Δδ	Delta	Ππ	Pi
Εε	Epsilon	Ρρ	Rho
Ζζ	Zeta	Σσς	Sigma
Ηη	Eta	Ττ	Tau
Θθ	Theta	Υυ	Upsilon
Ιι	Iota	Φφ	Phi
Κκ	Kappa	Χχ	Chi
Λλ	Lambda	Ψψ	Psi
Μμ	Mu	Ωω	Omega

Xi

Ξξ

Xi

The hardest letter. Sh!

Omicron

Οο

Omicron

O is an easy letter to recognize in both capital letters and lower case.

Pi

Ππ

Pi

Think of it as a portal or door.

Mathematicians find this one easy.

Rho

Ρρ

Rho

How do you remember that what looks like a P is really an R. You know all those sign writers who get the signs wrong on signposts and signs on the road. They go home early and don't finish the letters. The Russian sign writer went off for a cup of tea, or vodka. He forgot to put the last part of the letter R. It looks like P but he meant R. The two related letters are PR, as in the initials for Public Relations. P is R. Rho - row, row, row your boat, as the Eton boating song says.

Sigma

Σσς

Sigma

How do you distinguish the Greek  Sigma from the Greek Zeta? Easy. The Zeta is like the English Z. It faces left, looks backward, like the last letter of the English alphabet. The Sigma may be angular like a z, but the top half or face - it faces forwards, to the right, like the English S. You start writing an S with a curve like the letter c in mid-air above the line. The lower case sigma starts the same way with a c shape. C is pronounced s in our English words police and palace.

The second small s is the final s at the end of the word. Imagine that instead of a full stop, in a signature you end with a flourish. So a person called James would write the final s with a twist on the end of the last letter. In joined up writing there's no room on the other letters but the letter with nothing after it can end with a squiggle.

Tau

Ττ

Tau

The letter looks the same as the English Tee. How do you remember it is Tau? Like a towel. Like a taurus.

Glossary

capital letters - the big ones, used in English to start a sentence, as initials for proper names of people such as John. (German uses capital letters for all nouns, but English only bother to use capitals for names of people or objects such as a ship's name. In an English dictionary the words start with a lower case or small letter so that you can see whether you need a capital. For example, the word Elizabeth needs the capital letter at the start. Sometimes handwritten notices are in capitals for clarity and to draw attention. For example: NO SMOKING.

lower case - small letters used in the middle of a word, for joined-up writing.