Reference · Glossary
Gematria definitions for new users
By the Gematria.Today Editorial Team · UpdatedA plain-language glossary of the vocabulary used across Gematria.Today. Search by term, jump to a letter, or skim by topic.
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Core concepts
- A practice that assigns a number to every letter, so any word or phrase can be added up to a single value. It is most often discussed alongside Hebrew scripture, but the same idea works for English, Greek, and other alphabets.
- The number assigned to one letter under a particular cipher. This site uses the English (Base-6) cipher: A = 6, B = 12, and so on to Z = 156.
A = 6 · B = 12 · … · Z = 156 - The total you get by adding up the letter values for every letter in a word or phrase. Two different phrases that share the same total are sometimes called a match.
- Any string of one or more words entered into the calculator. Spelling, spacing, and punctuation must be kept consistent so totals stay repeatable.
- A specific rule set for converting letters into numbers. Gematria.Today uses one — English (Base-6), where A = 6, B = 12 … Z = 156. Other ciphers exist (and are listed below for reference) and can produce different totals for the same word.
Cipher and methods
Gematria.Today calculates values using one cipher only: English Gematria (multiples of six), where A = 6, B = 12 … Z = 156. The other cipher entries below are included as a reference glossary so readers recognize the terms when they encounter them elsewhere — they are not used on this site.
- The most common starting point: A = 1, B = 2 ... Z = 26. Letters count in their natural alphabet order.
A=1 · B=2 · C=3 · … · Z=26 - The same idea, counted backwards: A = 26, B = 25 ... Z = 1.
A=26 · B=25 · … · Z=1 - Letters are reduced to single digits so the alphabet only uses 1 through 9 (A = 1, B = 2 ... I = 9, then J = 1 again). Often called Pythagorean gematria.
A=1 · I=9 · J=1 · R=9 · S=1 - Reduction applied to the reversed alphabet, so A = 8 (because Z would be 1 in reverse, Y would be 2, and so on, reduced to single digits).
- A variant where A = 6, B = 12 ... Z = 156. It is the English Ordinal value multiplied by six.
A=6 · B=12 · … · Z=156 - The original Hebrew system, where each letter of the Hebrew alphabet has a traditional value (Aleph = 1, Bet = 2, Yod = 10, and so on).
- The Greek equivalent of gematria, using values assigned to Greek letters. It is the system referenced by the number 666 in Revelation 13:18.
Calculator terms
- The input tool on the word/phrase and name pages where you type text and receive a gematria value back.
- The exact text you entered into the calculator. The same query should always return the same value under the same cipher.
- A single calculator run for one query. Looking up several related terms and comparing them is more useful than relying on one lookup alone.
- The first value you record for a term. You compare later results against this baseline to check consistency and to anchor your interpretations.
- Adding the digits of a number until you get a single digit. Some research methods compare these reduced "roots."
276 → 2+7+6 = 15 → 1+5 = 6 - After a lookup, the results page lists other words and phrases from our database that share the same value. Coverage is limited to words currently stored — your own custom phrases may not appear yet.
Results and patterns
- Two or more words/phrases that produce the same gematria value under the same cipher. A single match by itself is not evidence — it becomes interesting only when several related terms line up.
- A group of thematically related terms that all share the same value (or a small set of values). Clusters are stronger signals than isolated matches because they show repeating structure.
- The practice of sorting your matches into themed buckets so the cluster behavior is visible. See the Level 2 lesson.
- A related term you expected to share a value but that did not. Including non-matches keeps interpretation honest and prevents cherry-picking.
- Choosing words after the fact so they fit a desired total. An overfit cluster looks convincing but only because the misses were hidden.
- The reminder that some matches will always occur by chance. The goal of clustering and non-matches is to rise above this floor — not to pretend it isn't there.
Research vocabulary
- Selecting only the terms that support a conclusion while ignoring those that don't. The site's checklist actively pushes against this.
- Testing a pattern against new words or unrelated phrase sets to confirm it isn't an artifact of one chosen list.
- How many independently related terms you compared. Larger, more diverse samples make a cluster more credible.
- A plain-language note (low / medium / high) about how strongly your data supports your interpretation. Always state this before publishing.
- The standards Gematria.Today applies to interpretive content. See the disclaimer page for the full text.
- The numbered lesson sequence (Levels 0–4) under the main guide. Each level introduces a new layer of vocabulary used here.
Keep learning
Definitions are easier to remember once you've used them in the calculator. Start at Level 1 if you're new, or jump to the FAQ for common follow-up questions.