Hebrew Gematria
Hebrew gematria gives each of the 22 Hebrew letters a number and reads words by their total. The standard method is Mispar Hechrachi, but several other methods exist.
Hebrew letters served as numerals long before they were used for gematria, so every Hebrew word has a number built in. Gematria is the habit of noticing and interpreting it. Below are the standard values and the five methods you will meet most often.
Hebrew letter values
| Letter | Name | Value | Position | Final form (Mispar Gadol value) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| א | Alef | 1 | 1 | – |
| ב | Bet | 2 | 2 | – |
| ג | Gimel | 3 | 3 | – |
| ד | Dalet | 4 | 4 | – |
| ה | He | 5 | 5 | – |
| ו | Vav | 6 | 6 | – |
| ז | Zayin | 7 | 7 | – |
| ח | Chet | 8 | 8 | – |
| ט | Tet | 9 | 9 | – |
| י | Yod | 10 | 10 | – |
| כ | Kaf | 20 | 11 | ך (500) |
| ל | Lamed | 30 | 12 | – |
| מ | Mem | 40 | 13 | ם (600) |
| נ | Nun | 50 | 14 | ן (700) |
| ס | Samekh | 60 | 15 | – |
| ע | Ayin | 70 | 16 | – |
| פ | Pe | 80 | 17 | ף (800) |
| צ | Tsadi | 90 | 18 | ץ (900) |
| ק | Qof | 100 | 19 | – |
| ר | Resh | 200 | 20 | – |
| ש | Shin | 300 | 21 | – |
| ת | Tav | 400 | 22 | – |
The main Hebrew gematria methods
Take the word שלום (shalom, peace). Each method gives a different total:
| Method | Rule | שלום |
|---|---|---|
| Mispar Hechrachi | Standard value of each letter, final forms count the same | 376 |
| Mispar Gadol | Final letters count as 500 to 900 | 936 |
| Mispar Katan | Zeros dropped, so 10 and 100 count as 1 | 16 |
| Mispar Siduri | Letters numbered 1 to 22 by position | 52 |
| Atbash | Substitution: first letter swaps with last, second with second to last | (replaces letters) |
Atbash is a substitution, not a sum. A classic example is Jeremiah 25:26, where the strange name Sheshach (ששך) is read as Babel (בבל) because bet swaps with shin and lamed with kaf.
How to calculate a Hebrew word
- Type or paste the word in Hebrew letters into the calculator. If you do not have a Hebrew keyboard, copy the word from any Hebrew page.
- Read the Hebrew (Mispar Hechrachi) row of the results. That is the standard total.
- For other methods, use the chart above and add by hand.
Our calculator uses Mispar Hechrachi. See the Hebrew cipher page for worked examples, or the letter values guide for a printable chart.
Famous Hebrew totals
- חי (life) = 18
- אהבה (love) = 13 and אחד (one) = 13
- יין (wine) = 70 and סוד (secret) = 70
More are in famous gematria examples.