Greek Syllables: the Ultima, Penult, & Antepenult

A Companion Work to Athenaze: An Introduction to Ancient Greek

Accentuation: Ultima, Penult, & Antepenult

Once you have determined the number of syllables in a word, the last three are of utmost importance for accentuation. In Greek, words are only accented on one of the final three syllables—exceptions exist, but they occur in regular and predictable scenarios. These final three syllables are called:

The Ultima: The Final Syllable 

The Penult: The Second to Last Syllable 

The Antepenult: The Third to Last Syllable

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E.g., ἄν-θρω-πος

Ultima: πος; Penult: θρω; Antepenult: ἄν

Bust of Aristophanes

Note: not all words have three syllables, so they will not all contain an ultima, penult, and antepenult. In such instances, you begin with the ultima and proceed back from there.

Exercises

For the following Greek words, please write the vowel or diphthong/digraph for the final three syllables.

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