What is the correct way to say the Greek letters Phi, Chi, Psi and Xi?

Question

At my university these letters all used the long "I" sound and were Fi, Ki, Si. We didn't have an Xi.

In a book, the author says they should be Fee, Key, Psee, and Ksee (I don't know whether Psee and Ksee are one syllable or PaSee and KaSee)

Answer 1

We were always told that the vowel sound for these letters was an 'a-i' dipthong (so 'pi' was pronounced as 'pie'). In Greek this would not be true, I think, since it is either a short 'i' or an 'eta' (ee).

Phi = Φ pronounced as English 'F'
Chi = Χ pronounced much like 'ch' in Scottish 'loch'
Psi = Ψ prounounced as 'PS' (and one sound as 'ps' in 'apse')
Xi = Ξ pronounced as 'KS' like 'x' in 'excellent' (Note there is a confusion between the English 'X' and the Greek 'X' - they are written the same but they are different letters. Also the 'Z' sound is represented by 'zeta' - Ζ in upper case, ζ in lower case.

The commonest English pronounciation of these would make them all rhyme with 'fly' but in Greek they would rhyme with 'flee'.

Answer 2

When I studied ancient greek they were pronounced:

Phi - Fee
Chi - Chee (like Cheek, but without the k, to rhyme with Fee)
Psi - P'See (two syllables)
Xi - Zee

Answer 3

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Answer 4

How Do You Pronounce Chi

Answer 5

fi sounds like fee
chi sounds like he
psi sounds like psee
xi sound like ksee

katherine is wrong about xi and zee
theletter z we call it zeeta and xi is ksee and the greek is ξ,Ξ.

Answer 6

Yiannis the Greek is absolutely correct. Give him the 10 points

Answer 7

"Correct" really depends on context. If you're speaking Greek, then those letters all rhyme with "ee", and it's "psee" and "ksee" indeed. (Incidentally, Pi is also pronounced "Pee"). But when using Greek letters as symbols (math, physics) or names (fraternities, etc.) in English conversation, the norm is to pronounce them with the long I, and Psi is pronounced "Sy" and Xi as "Zi".

Answer 8

In modern Greek, they are pronounced "Fee", "Chee" ("ch" as in German 'Bach'), "Psee" (one syllable) and "Ks-ee" (one syllable).

In most ancient dialects of Greek, the 'h' in Phi and Chi is almost silent, so it's closer to "Pee" and "Kee", but they are what's know as aspirated, so you breathe out over the P and K as you say them (which is why they are written with an 'h' in the English).

Answer 9

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Answer 10

The usual way is long I on the first three and Xi is said Zee.

The other ways are also correct though. Sort of like tomato/tomahto

(I studied classical Greek in college)