Spiritus lenis

Okay, let's talk about something called "spiritus lenis." It's a funny sound that some letters make at the beginning of words in languages like ancient Greek.

Basically, if you see a little squiggly line above a letter in a Greek word, it means that the letter makes a quiet sound at the beginning of the word. It's like when you whisper instead of talking loudly--the sound is still there, but it's quieter.

For example, let's take the word "alpha." It starts with the letter "a," but if you see that squiggly line (called a "psili"), it means you're supposed to say the letter very quietly. So instead of saying "ah-luh-fuh" with a strong "a" sound, you would say "uh-luh-fuh" with a quiet "a" sound.

This might seem a little silly, but it's important for people who study these languages to know about spiritus lenis because it can change the meaning of a word. Plus, it's always fun to learn new sounds and ways of talking!