Hebrew Alphabet (Alef-Bet): 22 Letters, Pronunciation & Gematria

The Hebrew alphabet, known as the Alef-Bet (אָלֶף־בֵּית), contains 22 primary letters. Hebrew is normally written and read from right to left. Each letter has a traditional name, numerical value in standard Gematria, and characteristic pronunciation, while some letters can represent different sounds depending on context. Pronunciation below is primarily based on Modern Israeli Hebrew; historical, Biblical, Sephardi, Ashkenazi, and other pronunciation traditions may differ, particularly for letters such as א, ע, ח, כ, and ר. This interactive reference lets you explore all 22 letters, final forms, Niqqud, and dagesh rules.

Interactive Hebrew Letter Explorer

Select any letter below to explore its name, common Modern Israeli Hebrew pronunciation, transliteration, Gematria value, final form, and an example word.

How to Use the Hebrew Letter Explorer:

Select a Hebrew letter from the alphabet strip.
Review its name, pronunciation, transliteration, final-form rules, and Gematria value.
Check the example word to see the letter in context.
Use Copy Letter, Copy Transliteration, or Copy Example to copy individual information.
Use Previous and Next to move through the 22-letter sequence.

Alef (אָלֶף)

Transliteration: ʾ (Historical glottal stop)

Pronunciation: /ʔ/ or often not separately pronounced in Modern Hebrew

Alphabet Order: 1 of 22

Gematria Value: 1

Final Form (Sofit): None

Example Word: אָב — av — father

Pronunciation Note: Alef is conventionally transliterated as ʾ in many scholarly systems. In Modern Israeli Hebrew, its consonantal articulation is often weak or absent.

Hebrew Alphabet Quick Reference

Scan all 22 letters, sounds and Gematria values in traditional sequence.

#	Letter	Name	Transliteration	Sound	Gematria
1	א	Alef	ʾ	/ʔ/	1
2	ב	Bet	B / V	/b/, /v/	2
3	ג	Gimel	G	/ɡ/	3
4	ד	Dalet	D	/d/	4
5	ה	Hei	H	/h/	5
6	ו	Vav	V	/v/; vowel indicator for /o/, /u/	6
7	ז	Zayin	Z	/z/	7
8	ח	Chet	Ch / Kh	/χ/	8
9	ט	Tet	T	/t/	9
10	י	Yod	Y / I	/j/; vowel indicator for /i/ and sometimes /e/	10
11	כ	Kaf / Khaf	K / Kh	/k/, /χ/	20
12	ל	Lamed	L	/l/	30
13	מ	Mem	M	/m/	40
14	נ	Nun	N	/n/	50
15	ס	Samekh	S	/s/	60
16	ע	Ayin	ʿ	/ʕ/	70
17	פ	Pe	P / F	/p/, /f/	80
18	צ	Tzadi	Ts / Tz	/ts/	90
19	ק	Qof (Kuf)	Q / K	/k/	100
20	ר	Resh	R	/ʁ/, /ʀ/	200
21	ש	Shin / Sin	Sh / S	/ʃ/, /s/	300
22	ת	Tav	T	/t/	400

Hebrew Alphabet Order

The traditional Hebrew alphabet follows the sequence:

א ב ג ד ה ו ז ח ט י כ ל מ נ ס ע פ צ ק ר ש ת

The first two letters, Alef (א) and Bet (ב), give the traditional name Alef-Bet. The sequence is used for learning the alphabet and also appears in traditional numbering and organizational systems.

Hebrew Sounds That May Be Unfamiliar to English Speakers

Hebrew does not map one-to-one to the English A–Z alphabet. Certain sounds have dedicated characters or unique phonetic properties not found directly in English.

Hebrew Letter	Name	Approximate English Sound
א	Alef	Glottal stop / silent carrier
ב	Bet	B or V (depending on dagesh)
ח	Chet	Kh / Ch (uvular fricative, commonly /χ/)
צ	Tzadi	Ts (as in ‘cats’)
ש	Shin / Sin	Sh or S (distinguished by dot position)
ת	Tav	T; in Modern Israeli Hebrew, Tav and Tet are generally pronounced alike.

Hebrew Letter Guide: Detailed Pronunciation & Usage

Learn how each letter behaves in actual Hebrew words.

1. Alef

Name: Alef (אָלֶף)

Transliteration: ʾ

Sound: /ʔ/

Gematria: 1

Example: אָב — av — father

Note: Alef is conventionally transliterated as ʾ in many scholarly systems. In Modern Israeli Hebrew, its consonantal articulation is often weak or absent.

2. Bet

Name: Bet (בֵּית)

Transliteration: B / V

Sound: /b/ or /v/

Gematria: 2

Example: בַּיִת — bayit — house

Note: In Modern Hebrew, בּ = /b/ and ב without dagesh = /v/, while traditional pronunciation conventions can vary historically.

3. Gimel

Name: Gimel (גִּמֶל)

Transliteration: G

Sound: /ɡ/

Gematria: 3

Example: גָּמָל — gamal — camel

Note: Hard velar plosive sound.

4. Dalet

Name: Dalet (דָּלֶת)

Transliteration: D

Sound: /d/

Gematria: 4

Example: דֶּלֶת — delet — door

Note: Standard alveolar plosive sound.

5. Hei

Name: Hei (הֵא)

Transliteration: H

Sound: /h/

Gematria: 5

Example: הַר — har — mountain

Note: Voiceless glottal fricative sound.

6. Vav

Name: Vav (וָו)

Transliteration: V / O / U

Sound: /v/

Gematria: 6

Example: וֶרֶד — vered — rose

Note: Consonant /v/ and vowel indicator for /o/ and /u/.

7. Zayin

Name: Zayin (זַיִן)

Transliteration: Z

Sound: /z/

Gematria: 7

Example: זְמַן — zman — time

Note: Voiced alveolar sibilant sound.

8. Chet

Name: Chet (חֵית)

Transliteration: Ch / Kh

Sound: /χ/

Gematria: 8

Example: חָבֵר — chaver — friend

Note: A voiceless fricative, commonly /χ/ in Modern Israeli Hebrew.

9. Tet

Name: Tet (טֵית)

Transliteration: T

Sound: /t/

Gematria: 9

Example: טוֹב — tov — good

Note: Sounds identical to Tav in modern Hebrew.

10. Yod

Name: Yod (יוֹד)

Transliteration: Y / I

Sound: /j/

Gematria: 10

Example: יַיִן — yayin — wine

Note: Consonant /j/ and vowel indicator for /i/ and sometimes /e/.

11. Kaf / Khaf

Name: Kaf / Khaf (כַּף)

Final Form: ך

Transliteration: K / Kh

Sound: /k/ or /χ/

Gematria: 20

Example: כֶּלֶב — kelev — dog

Note: כּ = /k/, כ = /χ/; uses Sofit ך at word ends.

12. Lamed

Name: Lamed (לָמֶד)

Transliteration: L

Sound: /l/

Gematria: 30

Example: לֶחֶם — lechem — bread

Note: Alveolar lateral approximant sound.

13. Mem

Name: Mem (מֵם)

Final Form: ם

Transliteration: M

Sound: /m/

Gematria: 40

Example: מַיִם — mayim — water

Note: Bilabial nasal; uses Sofit ם at word ends.

14. Nun

Name: Nun (נ)

Final Form: ן

Transliteration: N

Sound: /n/

Gematria: 50

Example: נָהָר — nahar — river

Note: Alveolar nasal; uses Sofit ן at word ends.

15. Samekh

Name: Samekh (סָמֶךְ)

Transliteration: S

Sound: /s/

Gematria: 60

Example: סֵפֶר — sefer — book

Note: Voiceless alveolar sibilant sound.

16. Ayin

Name: Ayin (עַיִן)

Transliteration: ʿ

Sound: /ʕ/

Gematria: 70

Example: עֵץ — etz — tree

Note: Ayin is frequently weak or unpronounced in Modern Israeli Hebrew.

17. Pe

Name: Pe (פֵּא)

Final Form: ף

Transliteration: P / F

Sound: /p/ or /f/

Gematria: 80

Example: פְּרִי — pri — fruit

Note: פּ = /p/, פ = /f/; uses Sofit ף at word ends.

18. Tzadi

Name: Tzadi (צָדִי)

Final Form: ץ

Transliteration: Tz / Ts

Sound: /ts/

Gematria: 90

Example: צִפּוֹר — tzipor — bird

Note: Alveolar affricate; uses Sofit ץ at word ends.

19. Qof

Name: Qof (Kuf)

Transliteration: Q / K

Sound: /k/

Gematria: 100

Example: קֹול — kol — voice

Note: Pronounced [k] in modern Hebrew.

20. Resh

Name: Resh (רֵישׁ)

Transliteration: R

Sound: /ʁ/

Gematria: 200

Example: רֹאשׁ — rosh — head

Note: Uvular tap or fricative in modern Israeli Hebrew.

21. Shin / Sin

Name: Shin / Sin (שִׁין)

Transliteration: Sh / S

Sound: /ʃ/ or /s/

Gematria: 300

Example: שָׁלוֹם — shalom — peace

Note: Dot position distinguishes /ʃ/ (right) from /s/ (left).

22. Tav

Name: Tav (תָּו)

Transliteration: T

Sound: /t/

Gematria: 400

Example: תּוֹר — tor — line / queue

Note: Voiceless alveolar plosive consonant with traditional/historical variation.

The 5 Final (Sofit) Forms

Five of the 22 Hebrew letters have distinct final (Sofit) forms when positioned at the end of a word. Final forms are used only at the end of a word; they are not additional letters, so the Hebrew alphabet still contains 22 primary letters, and they retain the exact same standard Gematria value as their base counterparts:

Base Letter	Final Form (Sofit)	Letter Name	Gematria	Word Example
כ	ך	Kaf / Final Kaf	20	מֶלֶךְ (Melekh — King)
מ	ם	Mem / Final Mem	40	מַיִם (Mayim — Water)
נ	ן	Nun / Final Nun	50	זְמַן (Zman — Time)
פ	ף	Pe / Final Pe	80	סוֹף (Sof — End)
צ	ץ	Tzadi / Final Tzadi	90	עֵץ (Etz — Tree)

Hebrew Vowels, Niqqud and Vowel Letters

Hebrew writing primarily uses consonant letters. Vowel information can be shown with Niqqud (vowel points and other diacritics), while letters such as ו and י can also function as vowel indicators in certain spellings. Modern Hebrew is commonly written without most Niqqud.

Niqqud are especially useful for beginners and are commonly found in educational, liturgical, and poetic texts where precise pronunciation must be specified.

Additionally, the letters ו (Vav) and י (Yod) serve as matres lectionis (mothers of reading), acting as auxiliary vowel indicators in unpointed texts.

Niqqud Sign	Vowel Name	Approximate Sound	Example
בַּ	Pataḥ	/a/ (as in father)	בַּיִת (bayit)
בֶּ	Segol	/e/ (as in bed)	דֶּלֶת (delet)
בִּ	Hiriq	/i/ (as in machine)	גִּמֶל (gimel)
בָּ	Qamatz	/a/ or /o/ (depending on tradition/context)	דָּלֶת (dalet)
בֹּ	Holam	/o/ (as in go)	טוֹב (tov)
בֻּ	Qubbutz	/u/ (as in rule)	כֻּלָּם (kulam)
בֵּ	Tsere	/e/ (as in great)	בֵּית (beit)

Letters That Change Sound With a Dagesh

Some Hebrew letters can have different pronunciations depending on whether they contain a dagesh.

Letter	With Dagesh	Without Dagesh
Bet (ב)	בּ /b/	ב /v/
Kaf (כ)	כּ /k/	כ /χ/
Pe (פ)	פּ /p/	פ /f/

In Modern Hebrew, a dagesh in ב, כ, or פ indicates the plosive pronunciation: בּ /b/, כּ /k/, and פּ /p/. A dagesh can also have other grammatical and phonological functions in Hebrew, including consonant doubling.

Standard Hebrew Gematria Values

In standard Gematria, each of the 22 Hebrew letters has a numerical value from 1 to 400. Final forms use the same standard values as their corresponding base letters. Below is the complete distribution:

Units (1 – 9)

א (Alef) = 1
ב (Bet) = 2
ג (Gimel) = 3
ד (Dalet) = 4
ה (Hei) = 5
ו (Vav) = 6
ז (Zayin) = 7
ח (Chet) = 8
ט (Tet) = 9

Tens (10 – 90)

י (Yod) = 10
כ / ך (Kaf) = 20
ל (Lamed) = 30
מ / ם (Mem) = 40
נ / ן (Nun) = 50
ס (Samekh) = 60
ע (Ayin) = 70
פ / ף (Pe) = 80
צ / ץ (Tzadi) = 90

Hundreds (100 – 400)

ק (Qof) = 100
ר (Resh) = 200
ש (Shin) = 300
ת (Tav) = 400

Practice the Hebrew Alphabet

Test your letter recognition, Gematria value, and final-form knowledge with this interactive practice widget.

Which letter is this?

How to Start Reading the Hebrew Alphabet

Learn the 22 basic letter shapes: Memorize characters in traditional right-to-left order.
Learn names and sounds: Associate each character with its primary Modern Israeli Hebrew sound.
Learn the five final forms: Understand Sofit forms for כ, מ, נ, פ, and צ.
Understand dagesh: Recognize how dot placement modifies Bet, Kaf, and Pe.
Learn basic Niqqud: Familiarize yourself with vowel points used in beginner and liturgical texts.
Practice short words: Read simple vocabulary words to build pattern recognition.
Progress to unpointed text: Gradually transition to reading everyday unpointed Modern Hebrew script.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many letters are in the Hebrew alphabet?

The Hebrew alphabet contains 22 primary letters. Five of these letters have special final forms used when they occur at the end of a word.

What is the Alef-Bet?

Alef-Bet is the traditional Hebrew name for the alphabet, derived directly from the names of its first two letters: Alef (א) and Bet (ב).

Does Hebrew have vowels?

What are the five final Hebrew letters?

The five letters with Sofit final forms are Kaf (ך), Mem (ם), Nun (ן), Pei (ף), and Tzadi (ץ). They change appearance when concluding a word without altering their numerical Gematria value.

Is Hebrew written from right to left?

Hebrew is normally written and read from right to left, while numbers, Latin text, URLs, and punctuation can follow bidirectional text rules.

What is Gematria?

In standard Gematria, each of the 22 Hebrew letters has a numerical value from 1 to 400. Final forms use the same standard values as their corresponding base letters.

What are Niqqud?

Niqqud are a system of vowel points and diacritics placed around Hebrew letters to guide pronunciation, commonly utilized in educational and liturgical texts.