Hebrew Letter Chart

The Hebrew alphabet — the aleph-bet — has 22 letters, all consonants, written from right to left. Five letters take a different shape at the end of a word. This chart shows every letter with its name, sound and traditional numerical value, lets you practise with flashcards, and adds up the value of any Hebrew word or name.

The Hebrew alphabet

Hebrew is read from right to left. The alphabet has no separate capital letters, and the letters are all consonants; vowels are shown in some texts by small dots and dashes (niqqud) above and below the letters, and are usually left out in everyday modern writing.

Final forms

Five letters change shape when they come at the end of a word: kaf, mem, nun, pe and tsadi. The sound doesn’t change. Most final forms extend below the line.

Letters with two sounds

Three letters have two common pronunciations in modern Hebrew, shown in pointed texts by a dot (dagesh) inside the letter: bet (b) and vet (v), kaf (k) and khaf (kh), and pe (p) and fe (f). The letter shin is pronounced sh when the dot is on the right and s (sin) when it is on the left. Some letters sound alike in modern Israeli Hebrew — tet and tav are both t, and kaf and qof are both k — though they were distinct in older pronunciation.

Hebrew numerals and gematria

Hebrew letters also serve as numbers: alef to tet are 1–9, yod to tsadi are 10–90, and qof to tav are 100–400. Hebrew dates and chapter numbers are still written this way. Gematria is the traditional practice of adding up the values of a word’s letters; for example חי (chai, “life”) is 8 + 10 = 18, which is why gifts in multiples of 18 are popular. The calculator uses the standard values, with final forms counted like their regular letters.

How to use the chart

1. Browse the chart to learn each letter’s name, sound and value.
2. Switch to the flashcard quiz to test yourself; wrong answers show the correct letter and sound.
3. Choose word value to type or paste Hebrew text and see the letter-by-letter total.
4. Print the charts from the pack for your desk or classroom.

Worked example

Typing שלום (shalom, “peace”) into the word value tool gives shin 300 + lamed 30 + vav 6 + final mem 40 = 376. The chart shows that the last letter is the final form of mem, which looks like a closed square. In the quiz, a common mix-up is between bet (ב) and kaf (כ) — bet has a small tail at the bottom right, while kaf is rounded.

Hebrew in everyday life

Modern Hebrew is the everyday language of Israel and is also used in Jewish prayer and study around the world. Street signs, newspapers and text messages are usually written without vowel marks, so readers rely on context and familiar words — which is why learning the letter shapes well matters. Printed books for children and learners, prayer books and poetry often include the vowel points.

Sounds that English doesn’t have

Two sounds need practice for English speakers: ḥet (ח), a breathy h from the back of the throat, and khaf (כ without a dot), like the “ch” in Scottish loch. In modern Israeli pronunciation many speakers pronounce ḥet and khaf the same way. The letters alef and ayin are usually silent in modern speech and simply carry the vowel sound.

Print and handwriting

The letters in the chart are the printed “square” script. Everyday handwriting uses a cursive script whose letters look quite different — for example, cursive alef resembles a small rounded “k”, and cursive lamed is a simple loop. Learners usually read print first and learn cursive for writing. Rashi script, another style, appears in traditional commentaries.

Tips for learning the letters

• Learn the letters in groups of similar shapes: ב כ, ד ר, ה ח ת, ו ז, ט מ ס ם.
• Say the letter name and sound aloud each time you see it.
• Write each letter a few times — the direction of strokes helps memory.
• Read short words you already know, such as names and greetings.
• Practise with the final forms once the regular letters feel familiar.

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