What this calculator does
This alphabet to numbers calculator converts text into the position each letter holds in the alphabet: A is 1, B is 2, and on through to Z at 26. It also works in reverse, turning a string of numbers back into letters, which is the numbers to alphabet direction of the same fixed mapping.
The mapping itself never changes, since it is just the letters A to Z in order, so it is safe to treat as a fixed lookup rather than something that needs configuring. It comes up in word puzzles, simple ciphers, numerology exercises and anywhere a name or word needs to be turned into a numeric code and back again.
The formula
Each letter is converted to its position in the alphabet, case-insensitively, with the letters of each word hyphenated together and words separated by a space, so the structure of the original text is easy to read back. Non-letter characters such as punctuation are carried through unchanged. Converting the other way reverses the same lookup: each number from 1 to 26 becomes the matching letter.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| A1Z26 | The common name for this exact mapping: A=1 through Z=26. |
| Position number | The number that corresponds to a letter's place in the alphabet, always between 1 and 26. |
The inputs explained
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Direction | Choose whether you are converting letters to numbers, or numbers back to letters. |
| Text to convert | Enter the word or phrase to convert (letters to numbers mode), or a string of numbers separated by hyphens and spaces (numbers to letters mode). |
When to use it
Solving a numerology or puzzle exercise
Many number-based word puzzles and simple numerology methods start by converting a name or word to its A1Z26 numbers before doing further arithmetic on the result.
Checking a simple substitution code
A1Z26 is one of the simplest substitution ciphers, and converting a suspected coded message back to letters is often the first thing worth trying.
Teaching the alphabet as an ordered sequence
Seeing a word rendered as its numeric positions is a straightforward way to reinforce that the alphabet is simply an ordered list of 26 symbols.
Worked examples
Every figure in the tables below is produced by this page’s own calculator at build time, so the numbers and the tool always agree. Select any row to load that scenario.
What number does each letter of the alphabet correspond to?
The fixed A1Z26 mapping used by this calculator, shown for reference.
Questions
Is A always 1 and Z always 26?
Yes. This is a fixed definition of the standard 26-letter alphabet in order, so it never changes regardless of the word or numbers entered.
What happens to spaces and punctuation?
Spaces separate words in the output, and other punctuation is carried through unchanged rather than converted, since only letters have a defined alphabet position.
Is this the same as a Caesar cipher?
No. A Caesar cipher shifts each letter by a fixed number of places and wraps around the alphabet; this calculator reports each letter's actual position number without any shift.
Can I convert a whole sentence at once?
Yes, enter the full sentence and each word's letters are converted and hyphenated separately, with the word breaks preserved in the output.
For a shifting-letter cipher instead of a fixed position lookup, see the Caesar cipher calculator.