Letter values in numerology: the A–Z chart
Every letter of the alphabet equals a number from 1 to 9: here is the value of A to Z and how to turn a name into a number.
By Thomas Guilhot · updated
The value chart
The vowels (A, E, I, O, U, and Y) are underlined: they give the Soul Urge number; the consonants give the Personality number.
How a letter becomes a number
Calculating a name always starts with a conversion: each letter is replaced by a digit, then the digits are added together. The principle fits in one sentence, but it opens up everything else. Without this chart, no Expression number, no Soul Urge number, no initial can be calculated.
The alphabet has twenty-six letters, and there are only nine digits. So the letters are arranged in series of nine, like folding a long strip of paper: A to I equal 1 to 9, J to R start again from 1 to 9, S to Z run from 1 to 8. Two letters in the same position in their series share their value: A, J, and S equal 1, just as B, K, and T equal 2.
This chart then serves several readings. The full birth name, letter by letter, leads to the Expression number. The vowels alone make up the Soul Urge number, and the consonants make up the Personality number. The first two letters form the initials. Each letter has its own page below, from A to Z, covering what it brings to a name, its shape, its sound, and how its presence, or its absence, is understood with the inclusion chart. These pages can be read on their own, in any order.
The four planes of expression
The method, step by step
The chart: A, J, S equal 1; B, K, T equal 2; C, L, U equal 3; D, M, V equal 4; E, N, W equal 5; F, O, X equal 6; G, P, Y equal 7; H, Q, Z equal 8; I and R equal 9. On the vowel side, the site counts A, E, I, O, U, and also Y, always treated as a vowel. Accents disappear: é, è, ê all equal E. Æ, Œ, and ß split into two letters (Œ counts as an O followed by an E).
An example: MARC. M equals 4, A equals 1, R equals 9, C equals 3. The total is 17, then 1 + 7 = 8. The total is reduced to a single digit, except for 11, 22, and 33, which stay as they are: LOUIS gives 3 + 6 + 3 + 9 + 1 = 22.
Pythagorean or Chaldean?
This chart is called Pythagorean, after the name of the Greek mathematician, even though nothing proves he drew it up himself. It is the most widespread chart in France and in the English-speaking world: it simply follows the order of the alphabet, which makes it easy to remember.
The Chaldean variant works differently. It assigns values according to the sound of the letters and leaves out 9, considered a number apart. There, G counts as 3 and O as 7: the results often differ. Following Fermier, this site uses French Pythagorean numerology, to stay consistent from one page to the next. To see what the Chaldean chart gives for a name, the tool on the page devoted to that school runs the calculation side by side.
Frequently asked questions about letters in numerology
What is the value of each letter in numerology?
A to I take the values 1 to 9, then J starts again at 1 and S comes back to it a third time: A, J, and S give 1, I and R give 9. The full chart appears higher up on this page. It is the Pythagorean chart, the one this site uses, based on the order of the letters.
Why is the alphabet read in series of nine?
Because there are only nine digits, from 1 to 9. The letters are lined up in order and, once 9 is reached, you start again at 1. Twenty-six letters make two complete series and one series of eight: Z therefore stops at 8, and no letter in the last series equals 9.
Is Y a vowel in numerology?
Yes, always here. In French, Y often sounds like an I (in STYLE) or like two I’s (in PAYS), and some authors count it sometimes as a vowel, sometimes as a consonant. We settled on a single choice so that the calculation is reproducible: Y goes into the Soul Urge number.
What is an accented letter worth in numerology?
The same as its base letter. É, È, Ê, and Ë count as E; À and  as A; Ç as C. Ligatures split in two: Œ reads as O then E, Æ reads as A then E, ß reads as SS.
What is the difference between the Pythagorean and Chaldean charts?
The Pythagorean follows alphabetical order and goes up to 9. The Chaldean spreads the letters out according to their sound and never uses 9 for a letter. The two often give different results for the same name; this site applies the first, and the tool on the page about the Chaldean school lets you compare the two results on your own name.
How do you calculate the value of a first name?
Write down the value of each letter, add them up, then reduce the result to a single digit. MARC: 4 + 1 + 9 + 3 = 17, then 1 + 7 = 8. Three totals are exceptions and are never reduced: 11, 22, and 33.