# So, what's going to happen when we run out of Greek letters to name the variants? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [November 27, 2021, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-going-to-happen-when-we-run-out-of-greek-letters-to-name-the-variants/955003 "2021-11-27T00:26:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-going-to-happen-when-we-run-out-of-greek-letters-to-name-the-variants/955003/41 "2021-11-30T19:49:51Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > That would be very confusing to people going forward whenever a new variant emerged. “OK, is it a new variant, or is it the nu variant?” or “Will the vaccine work on the nu variant, or a new variant?”. “I don’t know!” “Third base!” ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-going-to-happen-when-we-run-out-of-greek-letters-to-name-the-variants/955003/42 "2021-11-30T19:53:33Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > “I don’t know!” “Third base!” “Nu’s on first. Xi’s (she’s) on second. Omigod’s (omicron’s) on third!” ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-going-to-happen-when-we-run-out-of-greek-letters-to-name-the-variants/955003/43 "2021-11-30T19:55:59Z")
“Have you heard about the nu variant?” “A new variant? What is it named?” “Nu.” “No, really, what’s its name?” “Nu!” “I _know_ it’s new, you told me that already! I’m asking, what’s the variant’s name?” “Nu!” ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-going-to-happen-when-we-run-out-of-greek-letters-to-name-the-variants/955003/44 "2021-11-30T19:58:48Z")
They didn’t ask any Jewish grandfathers before they named the zeta variant… ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-going-to-happen-when-we-run-out-of-greek-letters-to-name-the-variants/955003/45 "2021-11-30T20:56:54Z")
Moderating: > [@Isamu](#): > > No I said “cried”. If you dispute the claim then provide evidence. I’m not sure what you wish to accomplish with this needlessly provocative post. Moderators agree this is over the line for the ‘Don’t be a jerk’ rule. Please dial it back. Guidance only, not a warning. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2021, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-going-to-happen-when-we-run-out-of-greek-letters-to-name-the-variants/955003/46 "2021-12-02T21:25:40Z")
I like the notion of using font names for variants. “Covid-Comic-Sans” is delicious. I look forward to concerned news reports about the detection of yet more Serif variants. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-going-to-happen-when-we-run-out-of-greek-letters-to-name-the-variants/955003/47 "2021-12-03T14:59:55Z")
I grant that Covid-Papyrus is really overspreading, but despite all the criticism I had it and I quite liked it. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-going-to-happen-when-we-run-out-of-greek-letters-to-name-the-variants/955003/48 "2021-12-03T19:54:01Z")
Make it kid-friendly for educational purposes. “It’s the Elsa variant!” ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-going-to-happen-when-we-run-out-of-greek-letters-to-name-the-variants/955003/49 "2021-12-03T20:21:29Z")
COVID - New Caledonia could be confusing as well. ---
**Author:** ![Mikkel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikkel/32/13151_2.png) [@Mikkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikkel)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-going-to-happen-when-we-run-out-of-greek-letters-to-name-the-variants/955003/50 "2021-12-12T09:58:00Z")
I guess the next one will be named “Pi”. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-going-to-happen-when-we-run-out-of-greek-letters-to-name-the-variants/955003/51 "2021-12-12T11:45:00Z")
> [@Mikkel](#): > > I guess the next one will be named “Pi” There’s a circular argument going around about whether it would be appropriate to assign that letter. Some think it would be trying to fit a round peg into a square hole and others the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![Mikkel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikkel/32/13151_2.png) [@Mikkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikkel)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-going-to-happen-when-we-run-out-of-greek-letters-to-name-the-variants/955003/52 "2021-12-12T15:11:05Z")
But Pi, who doesn’t love pie? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-going-to-happen-when-we-run-out-of-greek-letters-to-name-the-variants/955003/53 "2021-12-13T04:17:03Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > hmm…I just had a politically correct thought: > Why are we using Greek letters? Since nobody seems to have stepped up to be the humorless FQ nerd on this one, I guess I’ll do it: The ubiquity of the Greek alphabet in modern science contexts is an artefact of Renaissance Hellenism in the context of early print culture. Early modern scientists were interested in the recovery and translation of ancient Greek scientific works, and humanist studies tended to involve learning Greek. So academic printers created Greek typefaces to print ancient Greek texts. That meant that as symbolic notation developed in scientific writing, the Greek alphabet supplied a convenient set of symbols that were widely recognized but not easily confused with roman letters. And the Greek alphabet has remained a central part of scientific notation ever since, in fields from mathematics to physics to biology to psychology. > [@JRDelirious](#): > > Probably, reset every year so the first new variant identified next year is Alpha22, etc. Yeah, unless it just defaults to “this year’s covid shot” like “this year’s flu shot”, etc. I have never known the official designation of any year’s flu strain, I just go and get the annual jab. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-going-to-happen-when-we-run-out-of-greek-letters-to-name-the-variants/955003/54 "2021-12-13T05:01:01Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > And the Greek alphabet has remained a central part of scientific notation ever since, in fields from mathematics to physics to biology to psychology. It should be noted that Omicron is one of the least used Greek letters in those various sciences. In fact, the only one I can think of is in Bayern designations of stars. Bayern designations are the ones that combine a Greek letter with the Latin genitive of the constellation name. Alpha Centauri is by far the best known of them, and some people will be familiar with the designations of other bright stars which are almost all Alphas or Betas. SF fans will be familiar with some others, such as Tau Ceti and Epsilon Eridani, because they’re nearby stars that are used as the locations of stories. Bayern designations use the entire Greek alphabet, so there are Omicron-stars for almost all constellations. But for other uses, Omicron looks too much like either an O or a zero, so it’s rarely used. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-going-to-happen-when-we-run-out-of-greek-letters-to-name-the-variants/955003.md?page=2)