Say each word out loud.

How to Say the Words

Every card has a say line under the Hebrew or Greek word. This page shows the letters and marks behind it.

Part I

The say line

  • The say line is under the big word. Genesis 1:1, card 1, says beh-reh-SHEET.
  • Each part between hyphens is one beat. beh, then reh, then SHEET.
  • Say the capital letters strongest. In beh-reh-SHEET, the strong beat is SHEET.
  • Hebrew reads right to left. Greek reads left to right, like English.
  • The Hebrew say line follows the vowel marks. Part III shows them.
  • The Greek say line follows one school way of saying Greek. It is named after Erasmus, a scholar who wrote a book on it in 1528.
  • God’s name has no say line. Its card gives the names of its four letters: Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh.

Erasmus: De recta Latini Graecique sermonis pronuntiatione (Basel, 1528).

Part II

The Hebrew letters

Hebrew has 22 letters. All of them are consonants. Five letters take another shape at the end of a word; both shapes are shown.

אAlephSilent. It carries a vowel.
בBetb with a dot inside; v without
גGimelg, as in go
דDaletd
הHeh; silent at the end of a word
וVavv
זZayinz
חHetrough h, like ch in Bach
טTett
יYody
כ ךKafk with a dot inside; rough h without
לLamedl
מ םMemm
נ ןNunn
סSamekhs
עAyinSilent. It carries a vowel.
פ ףPep with a dot inside; f without
צ ץTsadits, as in cats
קQofk
רReshr
שShin / Sinsh with the dot on the right; s with the dot on the left
תTavt

The dot inside. A dot inside Bet, Kaf or Pe makes a hard sound: b, k, p. Without the dot the sound is soft: v, rough h, f.

Shin and Sin. One letter, two sounds. A dot on the right top (שׁ) says sh. A dot on the left top (שׂ) says s.

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Part III

The Hebrew vowel marks

The vowels are small marks under, over or beside the letters. Each mark below sits on the letter Mem (מ), which says m.

מַPatahah — as in father
מָQametsah — as in father; in a few words, o
מֲHataf Patahah — a quick ah
מֶSegoleh — as in bed
מֵTsereeh — as in bed
מֱHataf Segoleh — a quick eh
מְShevaeh or silent — a quick eh, or no sound
מִHiriqee — as in see
מִיHiriq and Yodee — as in see
מֹHolamoh — as in go
מוֹHolam and Vavoh — as in go
מֳHataf Qametso — a quick o
מֻQibbutsoo — as in food
מוּShureqoo — as in food

Other small marks. Some cards show more small marks above and below the word. These are marks for chanting the text aloud. The say line does not use them.

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Part IV

The Greek letters

Greek has 24 letters. Each tile shows the capital letter, then the small letter.

Α αAlphaa, as in father
Β βBetab
Γ γGammag, as in go; n before γ, κ, χ, ξ
Δ δDeltad
Ε εEpsiloneh, as in bed
Ζ ζZetaz or dz
Η ηEtaay, as in day
Θ θThetath, as in thin
Ι ιIotaee, as in see
Κ κKappak
Λ λLambdal
Μ μMum
Ν νNun
Ξ ξXix, as in box
Ο οOmicrono, short
Π πPip
Ρ ρRhor
Σ σSigmas; written ς at the end of a word
Τ τTaut
Υ υUpsilonoo, as in food
Φ φPhif
Χ χChich, as in Bach
Ψ ψPsips, as in lips
Ω ωOmegaoh, as in go

Letters said together. These pairs make one sound.

ειay — as in day
ευyoo — as in you
ουoo — as in food
αιeye — as in aisle
οιoy — as in oil
γγng — as in angle

The h mark. A word that starts with a vowel has a small mark over it. A mark turned like an opening quote (ἁ) adds an h sound before the vowel. A mark turned the other way (ἀ) adds nothing.

The strong beat. The accent mark over a vowel shows the strong beat. Where a word has two accent marks, the first is strong.

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Part V

Real words, piece by piece

These words are copied from real cards. Each one is taken apart into its sounds.

In the beginning

Genesis 1:1, card 1

בְּרֵאשִׁ֖יתbeh-reh-SHEET
  • Bet with a dot and Sheva: beh
  • Resh and Tsere: reh
  • Aleph is silent. Shin, Hiriq and Yod: SHEE
  • Tav: t

Jonah

Jonah 1:1, card 5

יוֹנָ֥הyoh-NAH
  • Yod: y
  • Holam and Vav: oh
  • Nun and Qamets: NAH
  • He at the end is silent.

(no English)

Genesis 1:1, card 4

אֵ֥תet
  • Aleph is silent. It carries the vowel.
  • Tsere and Tav: et

Now

Acts 13:1, card 2

δὲdeh
  • Delta: d
  • Epsilon: eh
  • One beat, so no capital letters.

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Part VI

Where the vowel marks came from

Hebrew was first written in letters only. Jewish scribes called the Masoretes later added the vowel marks above, below and inside the letters. They did not change the letters.

  1. About 100 to 200 A.D.

    The Hebrew text is fixed, in letters only. The way to read it is passed on by mouth.

  2. About 500 to 700 A.D.

    The vowel marks begin. Jerome and the Talmud do not mention vowel signs.

  3. About 750 A.D.

    The marks are part of the Bible text.

  4. 1008 A.D. (or possibly 1009)

    The Leningrad Codex is copied, with its marks. It is the oldest complete Hebrew Bible. The Hebrew on the cards comes from the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, which follows it.

  5. 1538

    Elias Levita, a Jewish scholar, publishes a book on the Masoretes. He holds that the marks came after the Talmud was finished.

  6. 1620

    Johannes Buxtorf, a Protestant scholar, writes against Levita. He holds that the marks are part of Scripture itself.

  7. 1624

    Louis Cappel, another Protestant scholar, sides with Levita.

  8. 1648

    Buxtorf’s son answers Cappel.

  9. Still today

    The scroll read aloud in the synagogue has no vowel marks. A Jewish teacher of the Middle Ages wrote that the marks were not given at Sinai; the sages added them to help the reader.

Sources: Jewish Encyclopedia (1906), “Punctuation,” C. H. Toy and W. Bacher. Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar, ed. E. Kautzsch, trans. A. E. Cowley (Oxford, 1910), section 7. The Leningrad Codex: A Facsimile Edition (Eerdmans, 1998). McClintock and Strong, Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, “Vowel-Points.” Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible.

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