What Is Gematria?
Gematria is the practice of turning letters into numbers and adding them. Here is how it works, where it comes from, and what it can and cannot tell you.
Gematria in one paragraph
Gematria assigns a number to every letter of an alphabet, so each word has a total. Hebrew gematria is the traditional form. The word is generally traced to Greek geometria, though its exact origin is debated. In Jewish study it has been used for roughly two thousand years to link words and ideas in a text.
- Hebrew has 22 letters, valued 1 to 9, 10 to 90 and 100 to 400.
- Greek isopsephy works the same way with Greek letters.
- English ciphers are modern adaptations.
- Different methods give different totals for one word.
- A shared total is a symbolic link. It is not evidence of a real connection.
How gematria works
- Choose a cipher, which is the table of letter values.
- Write each letter’s value.
- Add them. The sum is the word’s gematria.
Example: in English Ordinal, love is 12 + 15 + 22 + 5 = 54. In Hebrew, אהבה (love) is 1 + 5 + 2 + 5 = 13. Try both in the gematria calculator.
Types of gematria
- Hebrew: standard (Hechrachi), Gadol, Katan, Siduri and letter-swap methods such as Atbash.
- Greek: isopsephy. See the Greek calculator.
- English: Ordinal, Reverse, Full Reduction and Sumerian. See the English calculator.
What gematria can and cannot do
It is a way of reading and comparing words, and it is part of a long interpretive tradition. It does not predict events, and a matching total does not prove two words are connected. We show the numbers and sources, and leave the meaning to you. Read more in is gematria real?.
Where the word “gematria” comes from
The origin of the word is debated. The explanation most often given is that it comes from the Greek geometria, meaning geometry or measurement, and entered Hebrew and Aramaic usage in late antiquity. Other suggestions exist, and we would not present any single etymology as settled. What is clear is that the practice itself is older than the English word for it, and that it grew up in languages whose letters already doubled as numerals.
Why Hebrew and Greek letters can be numbers
In English, the letters A to Z are only letters. Numbers are written with separate digits. Hebrew and Greek worked differently for much of their history. Each letter had a fixed numerical value, so a word could be read as a number simply by adding its letters. That is the raw material gematria uses: it is the arithmetic of letters that were numerals all along.
In Hebrew the first nine letters run from 1 to 9, the next nine from 10 to 90, and the remaining letters from 100 to 400. Aleph is 1, yod is 10 and tav is 400. Greek follows a similar plan, from alpha at 1 up to omega at 800. We show both tables on the chart page, and the methodology page explains how the calculator handles them.
How it has been used
Within Jewish tradition, gematria is one of several interpretive methods applied to the text of the Hebrew Bible. A well-known example is the number 18, which is the value of chai, the Hebrew word for life. For that reason gifts of money are often given in multiples of 18. Another is the name Eliezer, whose letters total 318, a number that has been linked to the 318 servants mentioned in the Abraham narrative. Such connections are offered as interpretation inside a tradition, not as mathematical proof.
Greek isopsephy had a wider, more informal life. Graffiti and short inscriptions from the ancient world are often cited as examples of people playing with the numerical values of names. The New Testament number 666 is the best-known case in modern discussion, and we treat it carefully on the Bible page.
A short worked example
Take the Hebrew word shalom (peace), spelled shin, lamed, vav, mem. Shin is 300, lamed is 30, vav is 6 and mem is 40. Adding them gives 376. Take emet (truth), spelled aleph, mem, tav: 1 + 40 + 400 = 441. The method is the same in every case: look up each letter, add the values, and record which letter table you used.
| Hebrew word | Meaning | Letters | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| שלום | peace | 300 + 30 + 6 + 40 | 376 |
| אמת | truth | 1 + 40 + 400 | 441 |
| חי | life | 8 + 10 | 18 |
| אחד | one | 1 + 8 + 4 | 13 |
| אהבה | love | 1 + 5 + 2 + 5 | 13 |
What gematria is not
Gematria is not a form of prediction, and a total is not a message. It does not tell you anything about a person from their name. Skilled practitioners treat it as a way of reading and remembering text, and some of the most careful writers on the subject are quick to say that it adds associations, not facts. For the other side of that argument, see is gematria real.
It is also distinct from numerology. Numerology is a separate modern tradition that assigns symbolic meaning to single digits and often to the letters of the Latin alphabet. The two sometimes use similar-looking tables, which is why they are confused. Our numbers page keeps them apart.
Gematria in English: what carries over and what does not
English letters were never numerals, so there is no inherited English gematria. The English ciphers on this site are modern conventions that borrow the idea of adding letter values. They are useful for exploring patterns in words, but their totals have no historical meaning the way the Hebrew and Greek values do. If you want to try them, start with English Ordinal and then compare a few of the others on the main calculator.
The main types of gematria
Specialists usually sort the practice into a few methods. Standard (mispar hechrachi) gives each Hebrew letter its ordinary value from 1 to 400. Gadol extends the five final letters to 500 through 900. Katan drops the zeros so every letter falls between 1 and 9. Siduri simply counts the letters 1 to 22 by position. Each has its own page and calculator on this site: Hebrew, Gadol, Katan and Siduri.
A separate family substitutes letters rather than adding them. Atbash mirrors the alphabet, Albam swaps its two halves, and Avgad shifts each letter forward by one. These change the letters of a word, and the result is then read or added as usual.
The same word, four methods
The Hebrew word shalom shows why you must always name the method. Under the standard method it is 376. Under Katan it is 16. Under Siduri it is 52. Under Gadol it is 936. None of these is wrong; they answer different questions.
| Method | Rule | Value of shalom |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Regular values 1–400 | 376 |
| Gadol | Final letters 500–900 | 936 |
| Katan | Zeros dropped, 1–9 | 16 |
| Siduri | Position 1–22 | 52 |
Who uses gematria today
Today it is used in several quite different ways. Students of Jewish text meet it in traditional commentary. Hobbyists use online calculators to explore names and phrases. Some people in numerology circles use English ciphers. Each group has different expectations, and mixing them up is the most common source of confusion on the subject. A fair summary is that the arithmetic is the same everywhere, while the meaning people attach to it depends entirely on the tradition they are in.
Where to go next
If you want to try it, the how-to guide walks through the calculator step by step. If you want the background, read the history and the Jewish tradition. If you want to test the claims, read is gematria real and the glossary for unfamiliar terms.
Frequently asked questions
What does gematria mean?
It means the numerical value of a word, worked out by adding the values of its letters.
Where does the word gematria come from?
It is generally traced to Greek geometria, but the origin is debated.
Do I need to know Hebrew to use it?
No. English ciphers need only the alphabet. For Hebrew texts, the Hebrew calculator helps with the letter values.
Is gematria only Hebrew?
No. Greek has a similar practice, isopsephy, and modern online communities use English ciphers.
Do I need to know Hebrew to use it?
No for English ciphers. For Hebrew you need the letters, which are on the chart page.
Is gematria the same as numerology?
No. They are separate traditions that are often confused.
What does a gematria value mean?
It is a sum of letter values. Meaning depends on the tradition and the reader.
What does the word gematria mean?
It names the practice of reading words as numbers. The origin of the word is debated, and one common explanation links it to a Greek word for measurement.
Is there a free way to learn the Hebrew values?
Yes. Our chart page lists every letter and value.
Related: all ciphers · Hebrew · Greek · what is gematria · why results differ · is gematria real
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.