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Reference · Alphabets

Hebrew Alphabet

All 22 Hebrew letters with names, sounds, and gematria values — plus the five final (sofit) forms.

Hebrew reads right-to-left. Click any letter to copy it.

Final (sofit) forms

Five letters take a different shape at the end of a word. Same sound and gematria value — click to copy.

The Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters, running right-to-left from א (alef) to ת (tav). It is an abjad: the letters are consonants, and vowels are marked with optional niqqud points. Five letters take a special final (sofit) form at the end of a word, and each letter also carries a numeric gematria value.

How the Hebrew script works

Hebrew is written and read from right to left, and its 22 letters are all consonants — it is an abjad rather than a full alphabet. The table above lists each letter with its transliterated name, nearest sound, and gematria (numeric) value; click any letter to copy it.

An abjad, not a full alphabet

Because the letters stand for consonants, short vowels are normally left unwritten in everyday text and inferred from context. When precision matters — in prayer books, poetry, textbooks, and for learners — small dots and dashes called niqqud are added above, below, or inside the letters to fix the vowels.

Letters with two sounds

A few letters change sound depending on a dot (dagesh) inside them: ב is “b” with the dot and “v” without, כ is “k” or “kh”, and פ is “p” or “f”. Two letters — א (alef) and ע (ayin) — carry no sound of their own and act mainly as vowel-holders or a faint guttural stop.

The five final (sofit) forms

These five letters take a different shape when they end a word — same sound, same gematria value.

RegularFinal (sofit)NameSound
כךkafk / kh
מםmemm
נןnunn
פףpep / f
צץtsadits

Final forms, niqqud vowels, and gematria

Five consonants — kaf, mem, nun, pe, and tsadi — are written with an extended “final” shape (ך ם ן ף ץ) whenever they fall at the end of a word. The sound and the gematria value are unchanged; only the glyph differs, which is why word-final letters can look unfamiliar at first.

Niqqud and gematria

Niqqud are the vowel points that turn the consonant skeleton into a fully voiced word; modern printed Hebrew usually omits them, so reading fluently means supplying the vowels yourself. Gematria assigns each letter a number — 1–10, then tens to 100, then hundreds to 400 — so words carry numeric values, a system long used in Jewish textual interpretation. To compare other writing systems, see the Greek alphabet or the Cyrillic alphabet.

How many letters are in the Hebrew alphabet?
The Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters, all consonants. Five of them also have a distinct final (sofit) form used at the end of a word, but these are variants of existing letters, not extra letters.
What are the final (sofit) forms?
Kaf, mem, nun, pe, and tsadi are written with a different shape — ך ם ן ף ץ — when they appear at the end of a word. The pronunciation and gematria value stay the same; only the glyph changes.
Does Hebrew have vowels?
Hebrew is an abjad, so its letters are consonants and vowels are usually not written. When needed, vowels are shown with niqqud — small dots and dashes placed around the letters — common in prayer books, poetry, and learning materials.
What is gematria?
Gematria is a system that gives each Hebrew letter a numeric value: 1–10 for the first ten letters, then 20–100 by tens, then 200–400 by hundreds. Adding a word’s letters gives it a number, long used in Jewish textual interpretation.
Which direction is Hebrew written?
Hebrew is written and read from right to left, starting with א (alef) and ending with ת (tav). Numbers, however, are written left to right, so mixed text can switch direction within a line.
Why do some letters have two sounds, like bet being b or v?
A dot called a dagesh inside a letter can harden its sound. Bet is “b” with the dot and “v” without; the same applies to kaf (k / kh) and pe (p / f). Without vowel pointing, context tells you which sound is meant.
Are א (alef) and ע (ayin) pronounced?
Both are silent or guttural placeholders rather than full consonant sounds in modern Hebrew. Alef is a glottal stop or vowel carrier, and ayin was historically a deeper guttural that most speakers now pronounce very lightly or not at all.