δέκα
“δέκα” (déka) — ten in Greek. Numeral, level A1, topic — numbers and counting. the delta is a soft th as in 'this', so the word comes out gentler than it looks: DHE-ka. 'Decade' and 'decalogue' share the root. In a live sentence: “Δέκα λεπτά με τα πόδια” — Ten minutes on foot. You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters δ, κ, α. One of 57 words in the set “numbers and counting” in the Greek course.
In short
| Written in Greek | δέκα |
| Read in Latin letters | déka |
| Translation | ten |
| Part of speech | numeral |
| Level | A1 |
- δέκαdékaten
Why it looks that way
the delta is a soft th as in 'this', so the word comes out gentler than it looks: DHE-ka. 'Decade' and 'decalogue' share the root
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
- Δέκα λεπτά με τα πόδιαdéka leptá me ta pódiaTen minutes on foot
Nearby words: numbers and counting
A price, the change, a house number, the time you agreed on, the floor. Numbers are the first thing you have to catch by ear — and the first thing people say fast.
- έναénaonethree genders: énas, mía, éna. It doubles as a soft indefinite article: éna neró — a water, any one will do
- δύοdíotwothe only small number that ignores gender completely. Its root gave English 'duet' and 'dilemma'
- τρίαtríathreethe neuter form; for masculine and feminine it is tréis. An ancient cousin of English 'three'
- τέσσεραtéserafourthe double σσ sounds as a single s. For masculine and feminine it becomes téseris. English 'tetra-' as in tetrahedron comes from the same root
- πέντεpéndefivethe inner nt is nd: PEN-de, not pen-te. The same root as 'pentagon'
- έξιéksisixthe ξ letter packs ks into one sign. Stress on the first syllable, like most Greek numbers
- εφτάeftáseventhe everyday form; the bookish eptá is just as correct. Eight and nine flicker the same way — a trace of the language's two norms
- οχτώokhtóeightthe everyday twin of the bookish októ. The chi is a throaty kh, as in 'loch': o-KH-to
- εννιάeniáninethe everyday partner of ennéa. The double νν sounds as one n
- έντεκαéndekaelevenbuilt from éna and déka, one and ten. The same pair of roots hides in 'hendecasyllable', the eleven-syllable line of verse
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “numbers and counting”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “ten” in Greek?
the delta is a soft th as in 'this', so the word comes out gentler than it looks: DHE-ka. 'Decade' and 'decalogue' share the root
- How do you say “seven” in Greek?
the everyday form; the bookish eptá is just as correct. Eight and nine flicker the same way — a trace of the language's two norms
- How do you say “three” in Greek?
the neuter form; for masculine and feminine it is tréis. An ancient cousin of English 'three'
- How do you say “eleven” in Greek?
built from éna and déka, one and ten. The same pair of roots hides in 'hendecasyllable', the eleven-syllable line of verse
- How do you say “six” in Greek?
the ξ letter packs ks into one sign. Stress on the first syllable, like most Greek numbers
How not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “ten” in Greek?
«δέκα», read “déka”. In a live sentence: “Δέκα λεπτά με τα πόδια” — Ten minutes on foot. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Numeral, level A1, from the set “numbers and counting”; written with the characters δ, κ, α.
How is “δέκα” written in Latin letters?
déka. This is a practical spelling — you need it to read aloud and be understood, not to meet an academic standard.
Why does this word look the way it does?
the delta is a soft th as in 'this', so the word comes out gentler than it looks: DHE-ka. 'Decade' and 'decalogue' share the root. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
Can I hear how it sounds?
Yes, right on this page: click the word and it will play. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.