Many word games, especially crossword puzzles, allow you to spell the individual letters of the Hebrew alphabet, making it a handy word list to study. Sometimes, though, I just like to look at it...
Or listen to it...
Here are a few quick facts about this alphabet before we turn our attention to the individual letters...
The number of letters in the alphabet, and the traditional spelling of each letter, varies from source to source (as you can see by the differences between the video and my own descriptions!). The authority used to settle both issues on this page is The Chambers Dictionary. Why? Because that's my favorite dictionary, and it's my website ;-)
Unlike the Greek and Latin alphabets, which have upper and lower case versions of each letter, the Hebrew alphabet has only one case. Five of the letters do, however, have variant forms, called SOFIT*, when appearing at the end of a word. These letters are KAPH, MEM, NUN, PEH, and SADHE. This is one of the reasons people disagree on the number of letters in the alphabet.
Because Hebrew is written from right to left, this alphabet will not normally appear in the Anglicized order in which I have presented it on this page.
Traditional Hebrew does not make use of vowels. In more modern times, however, diacritical symbols called NIQQUD* have been introduced to indicate the presence of vowel sounds. Of course, I only mention this fact here in the hope that the Scrabble dictionary folk will notice the word NIQQUD* and add it to their lexicon.
A
DREIDEL
(also DREIDL) is a kind of spinning top used in a Jewish gambling game. A dreidel has four sides, each face having one of the following Hebrew letters imprinted: NUN, GIMEL, HEH, and SIN.
So let's take a look at the individual letters, and see how they might help out the word-gamer now and then. As always, I use an asterisk (*) to let you know that a word is not allowed in Scrabble.
ALEPH
Spelling...
Also spelled ALEF
Scrabble...
Anagrams - None
Hooks - ALEPHS
Crosswords...
First Hebrew letter
Hebrew leader?
Hebrew series starter
Hebrew alphabet opener
Introduction to Hebrew?
Leader in Israel
Opening in the Mideast
Beth preceder
Beth's predecessor
Letter before beth
Beth's lead in
___-null (number of positive integers)
___-null (math figure)
___ number (set theory concept)
___-null (smallest infinity)
BETH
Crosswords...
Aleph follower
Gimel preceder
Letter before gimel
First letter in Bathsheba
GIMEL
Scrabble...
Anagrams - GLIME
Hooks - GIMELS
Crosswords...
Beth follower
Letter on a dreidel
DALETH
Spelling...
Also spelled DALET*, DALED, DALEDH
HEH
Spelling...
Also spelled HE, HEI*
VAV
Spelling...
Also spelled VAU, VAW
Crosswords...
Hebrew letter before zayin
ZAYIN
CHETH
TETH
YOD
Spelling...
Also spelled YODH
Crosswords...
10th Hebrew letter
Tenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet
10th letter of the Hebrew alphabet
KAPH
Spelling...
Also spelled KHAPH, KAF, KHAF, CAPH
LAMED
Scrabble...
Anagrams - MEDAL
Hooks - LAMEDH, LAMEDS
Spelling...
Also spelled LAMEDH
MEM
Crosswords...
Hebrew letter after lamed
13th Hebrew letter
NUN
Crosswords...
14th Hebrew letter
SAMEKH
Spelling...
Also spelled - SAMEK, SAMECH
AYIN
PEH
Spelling...
Also spelled - PE, FEH, FE
SADHE
Spelling...
Also spelled - SADE, TSADE, SADI, TSADI
Crosswords...
18th Hebrew letter
Letter before qoph
KOPH
Spelling...
Also spelled - QOPH
Crosswords...
Letter before resh
Hebrew letter before resh
Nineteenth Hebrew letter
RESH
Crosswords...
Hebrew letter after qoph
Sin preceder
Letter before shin
SIN
Spelling...
Also spelled - SHIN
TAV
Crosswords...
Hebrew letter after shin
Last Hebrew letter
Last letter of the Hebrew alphabet
Torah's beginning?
Hebrew T
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