Chapter 1a – Hebrew Alphabet
Twenty-Three Consonants
Letter Name Pronunciation Transliteration
א Alef silent <
ב Bet b as in boy b
ג Gimel g as in God g
ד Dalet d as in day d
ה He h as in hay h
ו Waw w as in way w
ז Zayin z as in Zion z
ח Óet ch as in Bach ˙
ט Tet t as in toy †
י Yod y as in yes y
כ Kaf k as in king k
ל Lamed l as in lion l
מ Mem m as in mother m
נ Nun n as in now n
ס Samek s as in sin s
ע Ayin silent >
פ Pe p as in pastor p
צ Tsade ts as in boots ß
ק Qof k as in king q
ר Resh r as in run r
שׂ Sin s as in sin ∞
שׁ Shin sh as in ship ¡
Basics of Biblical Hebrew
© Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt
א
ת Taw t as in toy t
Chapter 1b – Hebrew Alphabet
Written from Right to Left
Hebrew is written from right to left,
not left to right as in English
תשׁשׂרקצפעסנמלכיטחזוהדגבא
Basics of Biblical Hebrew
© Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt
א
Chapter 1c – Hebrew Alphabet
Five Final Forms
Five Hebrew letters have “final” forms. When one of
these letters occurs at the end of a word, it is written
differently than when it appears at the beginning or in the
middle of a word. The changing of a letter’s form does not
change its pronunciation or transliteration.
Regular Final Example Transliteration Translation
Form Form
כ ךךרד drk road, way
מ םםע >m nation, people
נ ןןקז zqn old man, elder
פ ףףסכ ksp money, silver
צ ץץרא <rß earth, land
Basics of Biblical Hebrew
© Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt
א
Chapter 1d – Hebrew Alphabet
Six Begadkephat Consonants
Six consonants have two possible pronunciations and are known
as begadkephat consonants. To distinguish between the two
pronunciations, a dot called Daghesh Lene is inserted into
the consonant. The presence of Daghesh Lene indicates a “hard”
pronunciation and its absence denotes a “soft” pronunciation.
Begadkephat Pronunciation Transliteration
Letter
בּ b as in boy b
ב v as in vine ∫
גּ g as in God g
ג gh as in aghast ©
דּ d as in day d
ד dh as in the ƒ
כּ k as in king k
כ ch as in Bach ¬
פּ p as in pastor p
פ ph as in alphabet º
תּ t as in toy t
Basics of Biblical Hebrew
© Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt
א
ת th as in thin ®
Chapter 1e – Hebrew Alphabet
Four Guttural Consonants and ר
Four Hebrew letters are called gutturals.
They are called gutturals because they are
pronounced in the back of the throat.
א, ה, ח, ע and sometimes ר
Basics of Biblical Hebrew
© Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt
א
Chapter 1f – Hebrew Alphabet
Easily Confused Letters
Hebrew consonants that look alike
1.
ב (Bet) כ (Kaf)
2.
ג (Gimel) נ (Nun)
3.
ה (He) ח (Óet) ת (Taw)
4.
שׂ (Sin) שׁ (Shin)
5.
ם (final Mem) ס (Samek)
6.
ד (Dalet) ר (Resh)
7.
צ (Tsade) ע (Ayin)
8.
ו (Waw) ז (Zayin)
9.
ו (Waw) ן (final Nun)
10.
ך (final Kaf) ן (final Nun)
Hebrew consonants that sound alike
1.
ט (Tet) תּ (Taw with Daghesh Lene)
2.
ק (Qof) כּ (Kaf with Daghesh Lene)
3.
ס (Samek) שׂ (Sin)
Basics of Biblical Hebrew
© Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt
א
Chapter 1g – Hebrew Alphabet
Modern Pronunciation
The pronunciation of modern Hebrew differs in a number
of ways from ancient pronunciation. With the three
begadkephat consonants listed below, the forms without
Daghesh Lene are pronounced like the forms with
Daghesh Lene in modern Hebrew.
Traditional Modern
Consonant Pronunciation Pronunciation
ג gh as in aghast g as in God
ד dh as in the d as in day
ת th as in thin t as in toy
ו w as in way v as in vine
Basics of Biblical Hebrew
© Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt
א
