Gematria (Hebrew: גימטריה, gēmaṭriyā) is a numerology system that assigns numerical values to words or phrases, based on the belief that items with identical values share a meaningful connection—whether to each other, a person’s age, a calendar year, or other significant numbers. The term "gematria" likely stems from the Greek geōmetriā ("geometry"), a translation of the Hebrew gēmaṭriyā, though some scholars suggest influence from grammateia ("writing" or "script"). Both Greek terms may have shaped its evolution.
First appearing in English in the 17th century through translations of Giovanni Pico della Mirandola’s works, gematria is deeply rooted in Jewish tradition, especially within Kabbalah. A classic example is the Hebrew word Chai ("life"), made of two letters totaling 18, which has made 18 a "lucky number" in Jewish culture—often reflected in gifts given in multiples of $18.
Gematria has two main forms: the "revealed" form, widely used in Rabbinic literature for interpreting texts, and the "mystical" form, a Kabbalistic practice exploring deeper spiritual meanings. It’s commonly applied to individual words, Biblical verses (psukim), Talmudic sayings, prayers, names (personal, angelic, or divine), and other significant phrases. Kabbalists even extend it to arbitrary expressions and occasionally other languages. While Hebrew and, to a lesser extent, Aramaic remain the primary languages for gematria, historical figures like Rabbi Abraham Abulafia documented its use in Arabic, Spanish, and Greek (using Hebrew letters), and some Hasidic Rabbis sparingly applied it to Yiddish.
Our English Gematria Calculator brings this ancient practice to life, letting you explore a wide range of cipher systems—Ordinal, Reduction, Sumerian, and more—applied to English text. Try it now on our Gematria Calculator or see the systems in detail on our Ciphers page.