The Hebrew Alphabet in Gematria
Twenty two letters arranged as nine units, nine tens and four hundreds, plus five letters that change shape at the end of a word and, in one method, change value too.
The Three Ranks
The structure is regular and worth memorising as a shape rather than as 22 separate facts. Alef through tet are the units, 1 to 9. Yod through tsadi are the tens, 10 to 90. Qof through tav are the hundreds, but the alphabet runs out at 400. There is no single letter for 500 or above.
That gap is the reason Mispar Gadol exists. By pressing the five final forms into service as 500, 600, 700, 800 and 900, the system completes the ladder that the alphabet leaves unfinished.
The Full Table
| Letter | Name | Standard | Ordinal | Mispar Gadol | Reduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| א | Alef | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| ב | Bet | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| ג | Gimel | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| ד | Dalet | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| ה | He | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| ו | Vav | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| ז | Zayin | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| ח | Chet | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| ט | Tet | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| י | Yod | 10 | 10 | 10 | 1 |
| כ / ך | Kaf | 20 | 11 | 500 | 2 |
| ל | Lamed | 30 | 12 | 30 | 3 |
| מ / ם | Mem | 40 | 13 | 600 | 4 |
| נ / ן | Nun | 50 | 14 | 700 | 5 |
| ס | Samekh | 60 | 15 | 60 | 6 |
| ע | Ayin | 70 | 16 | 70 | 7 |
| פ / ף | Pe | 80 | 17 | 800 | 8 |
| צ / ץ | Tsadi | 90 | 18 | 900 | 9 |
| ק | Qof | 100 | 19 | 100 | 1 |
| ר | Resh | 200 | 20 | 200 | 2 |
| ש | Shin | 300 | 21 | 300 | 3 |
| ת | Tav | 400 | 22 | 400 | 4 |
The Five Final Letters
Kaf, mem, nun, pe and tsadi each take a different shape when they end a word: ך ם ן ף ץ. These are called sofit forms. In reading they are purely visual, a typographic signal that a word has ended, and they change nothing about pronunciation.
In gematria they are a decision point. Under Mispar Hechrachi, the standard method, a sofit letter is worth exactly what its ordinary form is worth. Under Mispar Gadol it takes the extended value. Most classical calculations use the standard method, so that is the sensible default, but published totals that seem impossibly large are often Gadol.
Letters Worth Knowing Individually
Alef - 1
The first letter, silent, and the natural symbol for unity in mystical writing.
Yod - 10
The smallest letter, opening the tens rank and the divine name.
Shin - 300
Three pronged, appearing on the mezuzah and in a great deal of commentary.
Tav - 400
The last letter and the highest single value in the standard system.
Why the Order Matters
The sequence is not arbitrary; it descends from the Phoenician alphabet, and Greek inherited the same order. That shared ancestry is why the Greek numerals line up rank for rank with the Hebrew ones: alpha with alef at 1, iota with yod at 10, rho with qof at 100. Once you know one ladder you effectively know both, which the isopsephy lesson takes further.
Practising
The quickest way to fix the values is to calculate a handful of short, familiar words: חי (18), אב (3), יד (14), אמת (441). Use the Hebrew calculator to check yourself, and keep the printable chart beside you until the ranks feel automatic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do the finals sometimes count differently?
Because Mispar Gadol uses them to extend the ladder to 900, filling the gap left when the alphabet ends at 400. Under the standard method they keep their base values.
Do vowel points have values?
No. Nikkud marks pronunciation and carries no numeric weight, so it is stripped before calculating.
Is there a letter for 500?
Not an ordinary one. Only Mispar Gadol supplies 500 and above, using the final forms.
Continue Reading
What Is Gematria?
Where the practice came from, what it actually does, and what it was never meant to do.
How to Calculate by Hand
The three steps every system shares, worked slowly on a short word.
The Systems Compared
Why one word has many values, and how to tell which system produced a number.
See all lessons or go straight to the gematria calculator.