How many letters are in the Hebrew alphabet?

22 letters, plus five final forms used at the end of words (ך ם ן ף ץ).

Does Hebrew have vowels?

The letters are consonants (some, like vav and yod, can mark vowels). Full vowels are shown by niqqud – dots and lines under, over or inside the letters.

What is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet?

Alef (א), whose value is 1. The last is tav (ת), 400.

Is the Hebrew alphabet the same as the Yiddish alphabet?

Yiddish uses the same letters but its own spelling, in which some letters regularly mark vowels.

Hebrew alphabet אָלֶף־בֵּית

The Hebrew alphabet – the Aleph-Bet – has 22 letters, all consonants, written from right to left. Five letters have a special form at the end of a word, and every letter also stands for a number.

Letter	Name	Sound	Value	Final form
א	Alef אָלֶף	silent (carries a vowel)	1
ב	Bet / Vet בֵּית	b (with dot), v	2
ג	Gimel גִּימֶל	g (as in go)	3
ד	Dalet דָּלֶת	d	4
ה	He הֵא	h	5
ו	Vav וָו	v; also the vowels o and u	6
ז	Zayin זַיִן	z	7
ח	Chet חֵית	ch (as in Bach)	8
ט	Tet טֵית	t	9
י	Yod יוֹד	y; also the vowel i	10
כ	Kaf / Chaf כַּף	k (with dot), ch	20	ך
ל	Lamed לָמֶד	l	30
מ	Mem מֵם	m	40	ם
נ	Nun נוּן	n	50	ן
ס	Samech סָמֶךְ	s	60
ע	Ayin עַיִן	silent in Israeli Hebrew; guttural for many Sephardim	70
פ	Pe / Fe פֵּא	p (with dot), f	80	ף
צ	Tsadi צָדִי	ts	90	ץ
ק	Kof קוֹף	k	100
ר	Resh רֵישׁ	r	200
ש	Shin / Sin שִׁין	sh (dot on the right), s (dot on the left)	300
ת	Tav תָּו	t (Ashkenazi: s without a dot)	400

The script

The square script used today in Torah scrolls and printed books is called Ktav Ashuri. The Talmud records that the Torah was given in this script, or that Ezra reintroduced it, while an older “Hebrew” script fell out of use (Sanhedrin 21b–22a). The five final forms – ך ם ן ף ץ, remembered by the word “mantzepach” – are attributed by the Talmud to the prophets (Shabbat 104a; Megillah 2b–3a).

Vowels and pronunciation

The letters are consonants; vowels are shown by dots and dashes (niqqud) added by the Masoretes in the early Middle Ages. Torah scrolls are written without them. Pronunciation differs between communities: modern Israeli Hebrew follows a Sephardi pattern; Ashkenazim traditionally read tav without a dot as “s” and kamatz as “o” (Shabbos instead of Shabbat); Yemenite and many Sephardi Jews keep distinct guttural sounds for chet and ayin.

Letters as numbers

Each letter has a numerical value – from alef = 1 to tav = 400. They are used for Hebrew dates (the year 5787 is written תשפ״ז), chapter numbers and gematria. 15 and 16 are written ט״ו and ט״ז rather than י״ה and י״ו, to avoid writing letters of God’s name.

Several biblical passages are alphabetical acrostics, such as Psalm 119, Psalm 145 (Ashrei), the “Woman of Valour” in Proverbs 31 and chapters of Lamentations.

Sources

Talmud, Shabbat 104a; Megillah 2b–3a – the final letters
Talmud, Sanhedrin 21b–22a – the script of the Torah

Frequently asked questions

How many letters are in the Hebrew alphabet?: 22 letters, plus five final forms used at the end of words (ך ם ן ף ץ).
Does Hebrew have vowels?: The letters are consonants (some, like vav and yod, can mark vowels). Full vowels are shown by niqqud – dots and lines under, over or inside the letters.
What is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet?: Alef (א), whose value is 1. The last is tav (ת), 400.
Is the Hebrew alphabet the same as the Yiddish alphabet?: Yiddish uses the same letters but its own spelling, in which some letters regularly mark vowels.