Hebrew Alphabet Chart

Interactive Alef-Bet chart. Click any letter to hear its pronunciation and see its English transliteration.

The Alef-Bet (read right to left)

22 consonant letters. Click any card to hear it spoken aloud.

Final Letters (Sofit)

These 5 letters change their shape at the end of a word.

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Mastering the Hebrew Alphabet (Alef-Bet)

The Hebrew alphabet, known as the Alef-Bet (אָלֶף-בֵּית), consists of 22 consonant letters. Unlike English, Hebrew is written and read from right to left. It does not have separate uppercase or lowercase forms, but five specific letters take on a different shape when they appear at the very end of a word — these are called "sofit" or final letters.

Learning the Alef-Bet is the essential first step to reading modern Hebrew, understanding the Torah, or simply exploring one of the world's oldest written languages.

Vowels and Niqqud

In everyday modern Hebrew, vowels are not written. Native speakers rely on context and memory. For learners, religious texts, and children's books, a system of dots and dashes called Niqqud is placed around letters to show vowel sounds.

The Dagesh (Middle Dot)

Some letters like Bet (בּ/ב), Kaf (כּ/כ), and Pe (פּ/פ) have two pronunciations. A dot in the centre — called a Dagesh — hardens the sound. For example, Bet with a Dagesh is "B"; without it, it's "V".

Why Hebrew Is Written Right to Left

Many Semitic languages including Hebrew, Arabic, and Aramaic are written right-to-left. This tradition dates back to ancient scribes who carved into stone, holding the chisel in the left hand and striking from right to left. When writing on parchment became standard, this directional convention was already deeply ingrained in the culture.

Frequently Asked Questions

There are 22 main consonant letters in the Hebrew Alef-Bet. Including the 5 final (sofit) forms, there are 27 distinct character shapes in total.
Five letters — Kaf (כ), Mem (מ), Nun (נ), Pe (פ), and Tsadi (צ) — change their visual shape if they are the last letter in a word. Their pronunciation remains the same; only the written form differs.
Yes! Hebrew letters double as numbers in a system called Gematria. Alef (א) = 1, Bet (ב) = 2, and so on up to Tav (ת) = 400. This system is used in Jewish religious study and mysticism (Kabbalah).
On Windows, go to Settings → Time & Language → Language and add Hebrew. On Mac, go to System Preferences → Keyboard → Input Sources and add Hebrew. Once added, you can switch keyboard layouts using a taskbar shortcut.

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