The Greek alphabet is a millennia-spanning marvel that didn’t necessarily need this boost in visibility. But the world is now getting a lesson in Greek, one unpleasant coronavirus variant at a time.

Also, the Greek alphabet doesn’t follow the English alphabet in terms of order. Graham said he fielded numerous calls from people asking what would happen when Zeta was used up.

Just as the English alphabet groups the three crazy letters—“X,” “Y,” and “Z”—at the end, Greek saves some very special characters for last.

That the alphabet has survived, in one form or another, for so long is a testament to its usefulness and durability—to the genius of it. The Phoenician alphabet was all consonants.

The Greek alphabet is a millennia-spanning marvel that didn’t necessarily need this boost in visibility. But the world is now getting a lesson in Greek, one unpleasant coronavirus variant at a time.

Among the many unknowns surrounding the new coronavirus variant called Omicron, named after the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet, one has stood out to many English speakers: How is it pronounced?