Latin Gematria
Latin gematria numbers the classical Latin alphabet in order. Because that alphabet had 23 letters, the values run from A = 1 to Z = 23, with I and J sharing a value and U, V and W sharing another.
Latin gematria applies the gematria idea to the alphabet of ancient Rome. Renaissance writers on number and letters experimented with Latin letter values, but no single table has ever been universal, so the term is best treated as a modern convention. We use the simplest and most common version: number the classical alphabet in order.
The Latin table
Notice that I and J are both worth 9, and U, V and W are all worth 20, because classical Latin wrote them as one letter each. From K onward, the numbers are lower than in simple gematria, because the Latin alphabet is shorter than the modern English one.
Worked examples with Latin words
- Lux (light): L (11) + U (20) + X (21) = 52
- Amor (love): A (1) + M (12) + O (14) + R (17) = 44
- Veritas (truth): V (20) + E (5) + R (17) + I (9) + T (19) + A (1) + S (18) = 89
- Pax (peace): P (15) + A (1) + X (21) = 37
For comparison, the same word Veritas is worth 94 in English Ordinal, so the choice of table changes the result.
Latin gematria vs Roman numerals
People sometimes confuse the two. Roman numerals are a counting system in which only I, V, X, L, C, D and M have a value (so MCMXCIV is 1994). Latin gematria values every letter and adds them, so the word lux has a total even though L is the only letter that is also a Roman numeral.