What Number Is Each Letter of the Alphabet?

Every letter of the English alphabet has a corresponding position number from 1 to 26. A is 1, B is 2, and so on until Z which is 26. This mapping is the foundation of the A1Z26 cipher and is used in everything from classroom exercises to geocaching puzzles to word value calculations. This page provides the complete reference chart along with memory techniques, conversion tips, and common applications.

The Complete Alphabet-Number Chart

Anchor Letter Memory System

You do not need to memorize all 26 positions. Instead, memorize these seven anchor letters and count forward or backward from the nearest one:

Using Anchors: Examples

• What number is G? Nearest anchor is E=5. G is 2 after E. So G = 5+2 = 7.
• What number is R? Nearest anchor is T=20. R is 2 before T. So R = 20-2 = 18.
• What number is W? Nearest anchor is T=20. W is 3 after T. So W = 20+3 = 23.
• What number is L? Nearest anchor is M=13. L is 1 before M. So L = 13-1 = 12.
• What number is N? Nearest anchor is M=13. N is 1 after M. So N = 13+1 = 14.

With practice, you can find any letter's position in under three seconds using this system.

Commonly Asked Letter Positions

Based on search data, these are the most frequently searched letter positions:

• What number is A? A = 1 (the first letter)
• What number is M? M = 13 (the middle letter)
• What number is Z? Z = 26 (the last letter)
• What number is L? L = 12
• What number is S? S = 19
• What number is R? R = 18
• What number is T? T = 20
• What number is N? N = 14

Reverse Lookup: Number to Letter

Going from number to letter follows the same table in reverse:

Word Value Calculations

The word value is the sum of all letter positions in a word. This concept appears in math puzzles, numerology, word games, and competitive Scrabble analysis.

Calculate any word's value instantly

Case Sensitivity

In the standard alphabet position system, uppercase and lowercase letters have the same position number. Both A and a equal 1. Both Z and z equal 26. This is different from ASCII, where A=65 and a=97.

The Math Behind It

In programming and spreadsheets, the position of any letter can be calculated using its ASCII/Unicode code:

// For uppercase letters (ASCII 65-90):
position = ASCII_code - 64

// For lowercase letters (ASCII 97-122):
position = ASCII_code - 96

// In various languages:
# Python:  ord('A') - 64 = 1
# JS:      'A'.charCodeAt(0) - 64 = 1
# Excel:   =CODE("A") - 64 = 1

Historical Context

The English alphabet has had 26 letters since the early 16th century, when J was distinguished from I and U was distinguished from V. Before that, the alphabet had only 24 letters, and positional numbering would have mapped differently. The A1Z26 system as we know it (with exactly 26 positions) is therefore a relatively modern convention, even though the concept of assigning numbers to letters dates back thousands of years to Hebrew gematria and Greek isopsephy.

Related Systems

• A0Z25 (Zero-indexed): A=0, B=1, C=2, through Z=25. Used in some mathematical and computing contexts where zero-indexing is standard.
• Reversed (Z1A26): Z=1, Y=2, X=3, through A=26. Used in Atbash-style puzzles.
• ASCII: A=65, B=66, through Z=90 (uppercase). The computing standard for character encoding.
• Excel column system: Same as A1Z26 for single letters, but extends beyond 26: AA=27, AB=28, AZ=52, BA=53, and so on.