Simple Gematria Calculator

Simple gematria gives A=1 through Z=26 and adds the letters. Type a word to see its Simple value next to the other English ciphers.

Enter a word, name or phrase

Cipher	Value

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What is it?

Simple gematria is the A=1 to Z=26 cipher: each letter is worth its place in the alphabet, and the word’s value is the sum. It is the same rule that many sites call English Ordinal.

Worked example
name in English Ordinal: 14 + 1 + 13 + 5 = 33

English Ordinal letter values

A 1	B 2	C 3	D 4	E 5	F 6	G 7
H 8	I 9	J 10	K 11	L 12	M 13	N 14
O 15	P 16	Q 17	R 18	S 19	T 20	U 21
V 22	W 23	X 24	Y 25	Z 26

About this cipher

“Simple” is a label rather than a separate invention. On many gematria sites it points to the plain alphabet-position method: A=1 through Z=26. On this site the numbers are identical to English Ordinal, and we keep a separate page because people search for the term under both names.

The word “simple” is worth treating with care. Some sites use it for a different table, and a few apply it to the Hebrew standard method, where it means that final letters take their regular values. Before comparing a total from another site with one here, check which letter table that site uses.

If you are new to the subject, Simple is the right place to start. It has no multipliers and no reductions, so you can follow every step. Once you are comfortable, try Reverse or Full Reduction on the same word and see how the totals shift.

Worked examples

Word	Working	Value
name	14 + 1 + 13 + 5	33
peace	16 + 5 + 1 + 3 + 5	30
hope	8 + 15 + 16 + 5	44
star	19 + 20 + 1 + 18	58

How it compares

Why two names: “Simple” and “English Ordinal” are labels for one rule. This page is the plain-language version; the English gematria page covers the wider English family.
When Simple is a good choice: when you want the easiest method to check by hand, or want to compare against a site that labels its base cipher “Simple”.
Next step: compare with Reverse to see how much the same word changes.

How the Simple cipher works, step by step

Write the word and ignore spaces, punctuation and digits.
Look up each letter in the Simple table above.
Add the values. The sum is the word’s Simple value.

For example, mind is 13 + 9 + 14 + 4 = 40, and soul is 19 + 15 + 21 + 12 = 67. Because only the sum matters, the order of the letters never changes the total.

Simple values of 20 common words

Use this table to check your own working, or to see how totals spread across everyday vocabulary.

Word	Simple	English Ordinal
death	38	38
life	32	32
peace	30	30
war	42	42
music	65	65
dream	41	41
magic	33	33
angel	39	39
spirit	91	91
karma	44	44
strength	111	111
courage	70	70
honor	70	70
beauty	74	74
nature	79	79
energy	74	74
balance	38	38
freedom	66	66
justice	87	87
mercy	64	64

Simple values of 10 common first names

Name	Simple	Letters
Olivia	68	6
Joseph	73	6
Ruth	67	4
Noah	38	4
Eve	32	3
Adam	19	4
Lucas	56	5
Grace	34	5
Henry	70	5
Isabel	48	6

A name’s total depends on its spelling. Sara and Sarah are different words to a calculator, and they give different totals.

What range can a Simple total take?

For a word of n letters, the smallest possible Simple total is 1 × n (every letter is the lowest-value letter) and the largest is 26 × n (every letter is the highest-value one). A three-letter word therefore falls between 3 and 78, and a five-letter word between 5 and 130. Knowing the range helps you spot an error: a six-letter word cannot total below 6 or above 156.

Anagrams always match

Every English cipher on this site adds letter values, so any rearrangement of the same letters gives the same total. Listen and silent are both 79 in Simple, and in every other cipher too. That makes anagram matches uninteresting on their own: they say something about the letters, not about meaning.

When to use Simple, and its limits

You are comparing against a site that labels its base cipher “Simple”.
You want the most basic rule, with no multipliers or reductions.
You are teaching someone and want a method they can do on their fingers.

The label “Simple” is used loosely online. Always check the letter table before treating two “Simple” totals as comparable. See why calculators give different results and the full chart page.

The full Simple letter table

This is the base table. Every other English cipher on this site is a rule applied to these numbers.

Letter	Position	Ordinal	Simple
A	1	1	1
B	2	2	2
C	3	3	3
D	4	4	4
E	5	5	5
F	6	6	6
G	7	7	7
H	8	8	8
I	9	9	9
J	10	10	10
K	11	11	11
L	12	12	12
M	13	13	13
N	14	14	14
O	15	15	15
P	16	16	16
Q	17	17	17
R	18	18	18
S	19	19	19
T	20	20	20
U	21	21	21
V	22	22	22
W	23	23	23
X	24	24	24
Y	25	25	25
Z	26	26	26

A worked example with a phrase

Take the phrase the quick brown fox. Work each word separately, then add the totals. Spaces are ignored.

Word	Calculation	Total
the	20 + 8 + 5	33
quick	17 + 21 + 9 + 3 + 11	61
brown	2 + 18 + 15 + 23 + 14	72
fox	6 + 15 + 24	45
Whole phrase	sum of the four words	211

Adding the four word totals gives the same figure as running the whole phrase at once. That is a useful check: if your phrase total differs from the sum of its parts, a letter was missed.

Simple values of 10 well-known phrases

Phrase	Simple	English Ordinal	Letters
know thyself	158	158	11
love thy neighbor	185	185	15
let there be light	156	156	15
as above so below	156	156	14
in the beginning	137	137	14
peace be with you	158	158	14
the truth shall set you free	311	311	23
good morning	131	131	11
thank you	115	115	8
happy birthday	153	153	13

Phrases are calculated as one continuous string of letters. Many sites also show word-by-word totals, which you can get by adding the words yourself.

More Simple word values

A second reference list of 40 words, useful for checking your own working or for seeing how everyday vocabulary spreads across the number line.

Word	Simple	English Ordinal	Letters
river	72	72	5
mountain	107	107	8
ocean	38	38	5
forest	83	83	6
garden	49	49	6
star	58	58	4
storm	85	85	5
shadow	70	70	6
flame	37	37	5
stone	73	73	5
bridge	45	45	6
door	52	52	4
key	41	41	3
mirror	91	91	6
crown	73	73	5
sword	79	79	5
shield	57	57	6
compass	86	86	7
harvest	93	93	7
winter	89	89	6
summer	89	89	6
autumn	90	90	6
spring	83	83	6
night	58	58	5
dawn	42	42	4
silver	85	85	6
golden	57	57	6
prayer	83	83	6
temple	71	71	6
scroll	79	79	6
blessing	87	87	8
miracle	61	61	7
destiny	96	96	7
memory	89	89	6
journey	108	108	7
harmony	94	94	7
patience	73	73	8
kindness	95	95	8
gratitude	105	105	9
serenity	115	115	8

Common mistakes when reading Simple results

Mixing ciphers. A total only means something next to another total from the same cipher. Comparing an Ordinal 74 with a Sumerian 74 is comparing different scales.
Changing spelling. Colour and color are different words to a calculator. So are Catherine and Katherine. Decide on a spelling before you compare.
Counting digits or symbols. This calculator ignores them. Some other sites assign values to digits, which changes the total.
Treating a match as proof. With thousands of common words and only a few hundred possible totals, many unrelated words collide. A match is an observation, not evidence of a hidden link.
Forgetting the cipher label. When you share a result, name the cipher beside the number. It saves the reader from guessing.

For a longer discussion, read why calculators give different results and is gematria real.

How Simple relates to the other English ciphers

The English ciphers here are all built from the same alphabet positions, so they are connected by simple rules. Reverse equals 27 times the letter count minus Ordinal. Sumerian equals six times Ordinal. Full Reduction reduces each letter before adding. As a quick example, truth is 87 in Ordinal, 48 in Reverse, 24 in Full Reduction and 522 in Sumerian. You can check the Reverse figure yourself: 27 × 5 − 87 = 48. Compare the full set on the main calculator.

Tips for getting consistent Simple results

Consistency matters more than the method. Before you calculate, decide how you will spell the word, whether you will include a middle name, and whether titles such as Dr or Mr count. Write those decisions down. Two people who start from the same text but make different choices will reach different totals, and neither is wrong.

It also helps to calculate each word separately and then add. That gives you a list you can reuse: if the same word appears in two phrases, you only work it out once, and a slip in one place is easy to find. The calculator above shows the total for the whole text, and the tables on this page let you check individual words.

Finally, keep the scope modest. Simple is a counting method, and a count tells you how many letter-steps a word contains, nothing more. Treat it as a way to explore patterns in language, and read what is gematria if you want the tradition behind the idea.

Frequently asked questions

What is simple gematria?

It is the A=1 to Z=26 cipher. Add the letter values to get the word’s total.

Why does a calculator show a different Simple value?

Check that it uses A=1 to Z=26 and ignores spaces and punctuation. Some tools label different rules “simple”.

What is the Simple value of my name?

Enter it in the calculator above, or look up a similar name in the table on this page. Spelling changes the total.

Does the order of letters matter in Simple?

No. The total is a sum, so any anagram of a word has the same value.

What is the highest a five-letter word can total in Simple?

130, when every letter has the highest value.

Can I use Simple for Hebrew or Greek words?

No. This cipher is for English letters. Use the Hebrew or Greek calculator for those scripts.

How do I check a Simple total by hand?

Write each letter’s value from the table on this page, add them, and compare with the calculator. The phrase example above shows the method.

Are spaces counted in Simple?

No. Spaces, punctuation and digits are ignored, so a phrase total equals the sum of its word totals.

Why do two different words have the same Simple total?

Totals are sums, and many different letter combinations add up to the same number. Anagrams always match, and unrelated words often do.

Is Simple an ancient method?

No. It is a modern English convention applied to the Latin alphabet. Traditional gematria belongs to Hebrew and Greek, where letters were already used as numbers.

Where can I compare Simple with other ciphers?

Use the main calculator, which shows several ciphers at once, or the chart page.

Values calculated from the published letter tables on this site; worked examples checked by hand on 13 November 2026. Written by Muhammad Hanif. Last updated 13 November 2026. Gematria is a symbolic practice, not a prediction tool.