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PricingAboutSupportHebrew Transliteration
Convert Hebrew into English letters, in three systems, or type an English spelling and get it back in Hebrew. Unvowelled Hebrew is read by its consonants, with the vowels flagged as a guess.
Why Three Systems
Hebrew has letters and sounds Latin script does not distinguish well, so no single Latin spelling is "correct" for every purpose. The simple system is what Israelis actually type: kh for כ/ח, tz for צ, sh for ש, and no marks above letters. It reads naturally and matches most signage translation and casual writing.
The academic system follows the SBL general-purpose style used in scholarship: ḥ for chet, ṭ for tet, ṣ for tsadi, ʾ and ʿ for alef and ayin. It keeps every consonant distinct, which the simple system does not (chet and khaf both become "ch"/"kh" there). The street-sign system is the Israeli government's 2006 standard for road signs: mostly like the simple system, but ẖ for chet and ẕ for tsadi, so a transliterated place name matches what is actually posted on the road.
Names Are a Special Case
A name usually has a spelling people already use, which does not always match a sound-for-sound transliteration. This tool looks up common given names (Michael as מיכאל, Noa as נועה) and everyday words (yalla, ima, toda) first, then falls back to a phonetic spelling. For a name specifically, the name in Hebrew tool is built around that lookup.
The Alphabet, Letter by Letter
| Letter | Name | Simple | Academic (SBL) | Street signs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| א | Alef | – | ʾ | – |
| ב | Bet | v | v | v |
| ג | Gimel | g | g | g |
| ד | Dalet | d | d | d |
| ה | He | h | h | h |
| ו | Vav | v | w | v |
| ז | Zayin | z | z | z |
| ח | Chet | ch | ḥ | ẖ |
| ט | Tet | t | ṭ | t |
| י | Yod | y | y | y |
| כ | Kaf | kh | kh | kh |
| ל | Lamed | l | l | l |
| מ | Mem | m | m | m |
| נ | Nun | n | n | n |
| ס | Samech | s | s | s |
| ע | Ayin | – | ʿ | – |
| פ | Pe | f | f | f |
| צ | Tsadi | tz | ṣ | ẕ |
| ק | Kuf | k | q | k |
| ר | Resh | r | r | r |
| ש | Shin | sh | š | sh |
| ת | Tav | t | t | t |
Undotted default reading shown; a dagesh (dot) changes bet, kaf and pe, and the shin/sin dot picks "sh" or "s". The full alphabet, with every detail, is on the alphabet page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which transliteration system should I use?
Simple is what Israelis use texting and on most signage translations: kh, tz, sh, no diacritics. Academic (SBL) is for scholarly writing, where ḥ, ṭ and ʾ mark distinctions Hebrew keeps and Latin does not. Street signs follow the 2006 Israeli government standard, so it matches what you see on a road sign.
Why does the tool guess vowels?
Hebrew is normally written without vowels. Rules can read the consonants but not the vowels a native speaker supplies from context, so an unvowelled word gets an honest best guess. Add nikud first, with the nikud tool, for an exact transliteration.
Does typing an English name give the traditional spelling?
For common given names, yes: Michael becomes מיכאל, Rachel becomes רחל, Noa becomes נועה. Everyday words such as yalla, ima and toda are also stored as their usual Israeli spellings. Anything else is spelled by sound, so an uncommon name may not match the spelling that person actually uses. The name converter is built for that lookup.
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