How to pronounce μπ in Greek
At the start of a word, μπ is a plain b, as in “bus”. You don’t say the m and the p.
Two letters, one sound: μπάσκετ is [BAHS-keht], basketball. Inside a word you sometimes hear a light m before the b, sometimes not. Both are fine: people will understand you either way.
Why Greek spells b with two letters
Greek has no letter of its own for the b sound. The letter β looks like an English B, but it says v: βάζο is [VAH-zo], a vase. So Greek writes b as μπ. It looks like “mp”, but it is one sound, and you never split it into m and p.
Examples
In the first two words μπ comes at the start, in the last two it sits inside the word.
- μπάσκετBAHS-keht · basketball
- μπαμπάςbah-BAHS · dad
- ομπρέλαom-BREH-lah · umbrella
- Λαμπρινήlahm-bree-NEE · Lamprini, a woman’s name
The capitals in a respelling mark the stressed syllable: say BAHS louder than keht.
What you hear inside a word
At the start of a word it is simple: always b. Inside a word you may hear a light m before the b: ομπρέλα sounds like [om-BREH-lah], close to the English “umbrella”. Don’t make it a hard rule, though: another speaker may say the same word with almost no m, and in some words, such as μπαμπάς [bah-BAHS], you hardly ever hear one. For reading, one thing is enough: at the start, b; inside a word, both are fine.
Check yourself
How do you say μπάλα (ball)?
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μπάλα is [BAH-lah]: μπ at the start of a word is b, not “mp” and not v.
How do you say μπύρα (beer)?
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μπύρα is [BEE-rah]: μπ at the start gives b, and υ says ee, never the u of “but”.
Which word starts with a b sound?
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A b at the start of a word is written μπ: μπάνιο is [BAH-nyo]. βάζο is [VAH-zo], and πάνω is [PAH-no].