6 in Greek alphabetic
× 6
Stigma has the value six.
HISTORICAL · LETTER VALUES
Greek alphabetic
Greek letters represent units, tens, and hundreds.
Convert numbers- Place
- Greek-speaking Mediterranean
- Period / variant
- Classical period onward
EXAMPLES
42 · Letter values
Mu (40) and beta (2), followed by the numeral sign.
Worked example
Write 42 in Greek alphabetic
Write the larger values first, from left to right. Each sign carries its own value; add the groups.
- × 40
Write this sign for 40. Its value is 40 by itself.
- × 2
Write this sign for 2. Its value is 2 by itself.
Put the numeral mark after the letters. It identifies a number and adds no value.
Check
40 + 2 = 42
Sources and notation notes
Meet the symbols
Each tile shows a sign and what it means. A sign can stand for a whole amount, such as 10 or 100.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 20
- 30
- 40
- 50
- 60
- 70
- 80
- 90
- 100
- 200
- 300
- 400
- 500
- 600
- 700
- 800
- 900
- Numeral mark · no value
How the symbols fit together
Certain Greek letters also have number values. Read each letter’s value and add them.
- The numerical letters come in three sets: nine for 1–9, nine for 10–90, and nine for 100–900. A tens letter already means a whole amount such as forty.
- For 42, the first letter is mu, worth 40.
- The next letter is beta, worth 2. Add 40 + 2 = 42.
- The numeral mark after the letters tells you to read them as a number. It adds no value. Missing amounts are simply left out.
42 in Greek alphabetic
× 40× 2
Mu (40) and beta (2), followed by the numeral sign.
999 in Greek alphabetic
× 900× 90× 9
Sampi (900), koppa (90), and theta (9).
This uses an uppercase typographic convention through 999, including stigma, koppa, and sampi. Thousands markers and manuscript overlines are not implemented; the range limit belongs to this app.
History
The alphabetic system, also called Milesian or Ionic, assigns numerical values to twenty-seven letters. Three additional signs retain places in the sequence beyond the standard twenty-four-letter Greek alphabet. Its forms evolved in manuscripts and printing, and Greek numerical letters are still used in particular contexts.
How to read it
Certain Greek letters also have number values. Read each letter’s value and add them.
- The numerical letters come in three sets: nine for 1–9, nine for 10–90, and nine for 100–900. A tens letter already means a whole amount such as forty.
- For 42, the first letter is mu, worth 40.
- The next letter is beta, worth 2. Add 40 + 2 = 42.
- The numeral mark after the letters tells you to read them as a number. It adds no value. Missing amounts are simply left out.
Limits
This uses an uppercase typographic convention through 999, including stigma, koppa, and sampi. Thousands markers and manuscript overlines are not implemented; the range limit belongs to this app.
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