NTGreek Lessons > Phonology > Lesson 1: See & Hear Rhō
1. Rhō is the seventeenth letter in the Greek alphabet.
2. Rhō is a liquid continuant consonant. When the phoneme is pronounced, air is allowed to pass through the oral cavity
without complete stoppage.
3. Rhō's phoneme varies. When it begins a word (initial position) it is always aspirated. A breathy sound accompanies
the phoneme's sound as the "rh" as in "rhapsody" although in spelling, the "h" comes AFTER the "r" sound. When rhō occurs anywhere else in a word,
the "r" is not accompanied with aspiration as the "r" in "red."
4. Rhō's capital and small letters are identically written, except the capital is twice as high as its lower letter.
Also, the capital letter stands on the base line and the lower case letter's stem drops below the base line.
5. Do NOT confuse rhō (P/p) with the English consonant "P/p."
6. Rhō is transliterated as "Rh" and "rh" or "R" and "r" in English, depending on its position in a word. The aspirated
rhō is transliterated as "Rh" or "rh" when it begins a word, otherwise transliterated as "R/r" when it appears elsewhere in a word.