How to pronounce αι in Greek
αι says eh, like the e in “bed” and exactly like the single letter ε. It is not “eye”.
Two letters, one sound: παιδί is [peh-DHEE], child. You don’t say the α and the ι separately, so the first syllable does not sound like “pie”. Think of the “ai” in English “said”, not the one in “Thai”.
Why two letters say eh
In Ancient Greek αι was a diphthong, two sounds in a row, close to the English “eye”. Modern Greek kept only one sound, eh. So ε and αι sound the same, and you tell them apart only by how a word is spelt. Short words like και [keh], and, and ναι [neh], yes, are worth learning whole: you will meet them in every sentence.
Examples
In the first five words αι says eh; in the last two the letters are said apart.
- παιδίpeh-DHEE · child
- γυναίκαyee-NEH-kah · woman; wife
- ωραίαo-REH-ah · lovely, nice
- καιkeh · and
- παίζωPEH-zo · I play
- ΜάιοςMAH-ee-os · May
- καΐκιkah-EE-kee · caique, a small wooden boat
The capitals in a respelling mark the stressed syllable: in [yee-NEH-kah], say NEH louder.
When αι is said apart
When the pair is stressed, the accent mark goes on the second letter: αί. If the mark sits on the α (άι), or the ι has two dots (ϊ), the letters are said separately, ah and then ee. Compare γυναίκα [yee-NEH-kah] with Μάιος [MAH-ee-os] and καΐκι [kah-EE-kee]. Only then do you get something close to “eye”.
Check yourself
How do you say παιχνίδι (toy, game)?
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παιχνίδι is [pehkh-NEE-dhee]: αι gives eh, as in “said”.
How do you say Κάιρο (Cairo)?
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Κάιρο is [KAH-ee-ro]: the accent sits on the α (άι), so αι splits into ah and ee.
How do you say αίμα (blood)?
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αίμα is [EH-mah]: the accent sits on the second letter (αί), so this is the pair, and it says eh.