Which of the following is a letter-sound correspondence unique to Greek?

Which of the following is a letter-sound correspondence unique to Greek?

• A. ph as /f/, ch as /k/, and y as /ĭ/
• B. th as /t/ and sh as /ʃ/
• C. a as /æ/ and e as /ɛ/
• D. b as /b/ and d as /d/

Answer: (A)

Understanding how Greek letters map to sounds helps explain why this set is distinctive. In Greek-influenced spellings in English, certain letter pairs come directly from Greek letters: ph is used to represent the /f/ sound from phi, ch is used to represent the /k/ (and historically /kh/) sound from chi, and y often appears in Greek-derived words to convey a short i sound linked to upsilon. This combination—ph for /f/, ch for /k/ (from Greek chi), and y for /i/ in Greek borrowings—is a telltale Greek pattern in English spellings, making it the best answer. The other options show letter-sound patterns that appear widely in English or other languages (such as digraphs for /θ/ or /ʃ/, common vowel sounds, or basic b and d), which are not unique to Greek.

Understanding how Greek letters map to sounds helps explain why this set is distinctive. In Greek-influenced spellings in English, certain letter pairs come directly from Greek letters: ph is used to represent the /f/ sound from phi, ch is used to represent the /k/ (and historically /kh/) sound from chi, and y often appears in Greek-derived words to convey a short i sound linked to upsilon. This combination—ph for /f/, ch for /k/ (from Greek chi), and y for /i/ in Greek borrowings—is a telltale Greek pattern in English spellings, making it the best answer. The other options show letter-sound patterns that appear widely in English or other languages (such as digraphs for /θ/ or /ʃ/, common vowel sounds, or basic b and d), which are not unique to Greek.