Letters to Numbers Converter
Convert letters to numbers and back with the A1Z26 cipher, where A is 1 and Z is 26. Type letters to get their numbers, or switch modes and enter numbers separated by spaces or commas to decode them to letters.
Example: with Text or numbers HELLO · Direction Letters → Numbers → Result: 8 5 12 12 15.
- TotalTotal value: 52
- Letter by letterH=8 · E=5 · L=12 · L=12 · O=15
Computed by the calculator below using its default values. Change any input to see your own numbers.
A1Z26 maps each letter to its position in the alphabet: A=1, B=2, on up to Z=26. It is case-insensitive, and non-letters are ignored so spaces and punctuation do not throw off the count.
The simplest substitution cipher
A1Z26 replaces each letter with its place in the alphabet: A is 1, B is 2, and so on to Z at 26. Because the mapping is a straight one-to-one list, encoding and decoding are exact opposites, and the same key works both ways. It shows up in puzzle hunts, escape rooms, and beginner cryptography precisely because it needs no memorized keyword.
The number outputs are usually written separated by spaces, dashes, or commas so that a 12 does not get read as a 1 and a 2. This tool separates with spaces and also lists each letter beside its value. Adding the values gives a simple word total, the same idea a basic gematria uses, which is handy for quick checksums or word-value puzzles.
How it’s calculated
Letters to numbers: each A-Z or a-z character maps to its 1-26 alphabet position (uppercase code minus 64). Non-letters are skipped. Numbers to letters: the input is split on any non-digit, and each value from 1 to 26 maps back to a letter (code 64 plus the number); values outside 1-26 are skipped and counted. The total sums the mapped values.
English 26-letter alphabet only. Accented or non-Latin characters are ignored rather than transliterated.
A1Z26 key (selected letters)
| Letter | Number |
|---|---|
| A | 1 |
| E | 5 |
| J | 10 |
| O | 15 |
| T | 20 |
| Z | 26 |
A1Z26 cipher: letter position in the English alphabet.
Common mistakes
- Writing numbers with no separator, so 12 becomes ambiguous with 1 and 2.
- Expecting punctuation or spaces to get a number — only letters are mapped.
- Starting the alphabet at 0, which shifts every letter down by one (A would wrongly be 0).
- Feeding numbers above 26 in decode mode; they have no single-letter match and are skipped.
Frequently asked questions
How does the A1Z26 cipher work?
Each letter is replaced by its position in the alphabet: A=1, B=2, up to Z=26. To decode, swap each number back for the letter in that position.
Is the conversion case-sensitive?
No. Uppercase and lowercase letters map to the same number, so A and a both give 1. Case is ignored entirely.
How do I convert numbers back to letters?
Switch to Numbers to Letters mode and enter values from 1 to 26 separated by spaces or commas. Each number becomes the matching letter; values outside 1-26 are skipped.
What is the total for?
It adds up all the letter values, a quick word-value or checksum figure. HELLO, for instance, totals 52.