# phi: fee or fie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 14, 2004, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phi-fee-or-fie/224327 "2004-01-14T01:06:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kaje](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f04885/32.png) [@Kaje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaje)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2004, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phi-fee-or-fie/224327/1 "2004-01-14T01:06:50Z")
or fo or fum HEYO yeah so anyway is there a “correct” pronunciation of this? I always pronounced it “fie”, but have occassionally heard it as “fee”. Some google searches have suggested that “fee” is correct when it follows a vowel… does this mean “fie” is correct the rest of the time? ---
**Author:** ![peasea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc79bd/32.png) [@peasea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peasea)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2004, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phi-fee-or-fie/224327/2 "2004-01-14T01:18:56Z")
If you want to pronounce it like a (modern) Greek speaker would, it’s ‘fee’. If you want to pronounce it like a frat boy, it’s ‘fie’. Both of these pronunciations, though, only apply when you’re saying the name of the individual letter. In Greek words, it’s pronounced like ‘f’, whether it follows a vowel or not. [A link](http://www.ibiblio.org/koine/greek/lessons/alphabet.html). ---
**Author:** ![peasea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc79bd/32.png) [@peasea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peasea)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2004, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phi-fee-or-fie/224327/3 "2004-01-14T01:26:45Z")
I think the link I posted was for Erasmian Greek [This one](http://www.omniglot.com/writing/greek.htm) has modern pronunciations. And to be fair after the ‘frat boy’ crack, one could probably consider ‘fie’ to be an acceptible American pronunciation. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2004, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phi-fee-or-fie/224327/4 "2004-01-14T02:25:32Z")
And then, of course, if you want to be classically Greek about it, the letter is pronounced like “pea”, but with a decent sized puff of air on the consonant. As opposed to the letter Pi, which is also pronounced like “pea”, sans aspirated consonant. The general rule is, though, that unless you are addressing someone who actually speaks Greek (ancient or modern), calling it “fie” is perfectly acceptable. ---
**Author:** ![Skeptico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@Skeptico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeptico)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2004, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phi-fee-or-fie/224327/5 "2004-01-14T05:41:50Z")
How about the little trident-looking letter? Frat boy version: “sai” Or Math prof: “Pa-sai” ? ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2004, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phi-fee-or-fie/224327/6 "2004-01-14T06:43:16Z")
Not all greek houses pronounce it the same way. It depends on the letter prior to it. If it comes after an alpha, it is pronouced “fee” - such as the sorority Alpha Phi. It also changes to “fee” if the first letter is Xi (it think it’s Xi :dubious: ). All other houses pronounce it “fie” - Phi Delta Theta, etc. ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2004, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phi-fee-or-fie/224327/7 "2004-01-14T15:38:05Z")
> [@Trom](#): > > If it comes after an alpha, it is pronouced “fee” - such as the sorority Alpha Phi. Not always. The co-ed service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega says “Fie”. But APO left the Greek system many many years ago, so maybe it’s just not bound by tradition. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Milton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6bbea6/32.png) [@Mr.Milton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Milton)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phi-fee-or-fie/224327/8 "2004-01-16T16:03:50Z")
This may help on such modern vs. ancient Greek pronounciation questions: [http://www.omniglot.com/writing/greek.htm](http://www.omniglot.com/writing/greek.htm) ---
**Author:** ![micco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f8ce5/32.png) [@micco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/micco)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phi-fee-or-fie/224327/9 "2004-01-16T16:26:01Z")
I’ll grant that frat boy usage is not necessarily correct, but members of the Phi Psi fraternity are universal in pronouncing it “fie sai”. They, um, discourage the alternate pronunciation “fee see” (i.e. feces). ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phi-fee-or-fie/224327/10 "2004-01-17T03:28:39Z")
> [@Skeptico](#): > > How about the little trident-looking letter? > Frat boy version: “sai” > Or Math prof: “Pa-sai” ? Like psi in posidon, without stress on the o :p’sidon Thats an easy way to remember. Or say “lapse eye” without the la. The maths prof is closest.