Greek Isopsephy

The calculator takes one word or name, in Greek letters or the Latin alphabet, and adds up a value for every letter. Greek script is read directly with the Milesian, or Ionic, numerals: alpha to theta give the units, iota to pi the tens, rho to omega the hundreds, and final sigma counts as 200. The archaic numerals digamma or stigma (6), koppa (90) and sampi (900) complete the ancient system, though ordinary spellings rarely need them. Accents and breathing marks are ignored, so Μαρία and Μαρια give the same total.

Latin text is stripped of accents, spaces and punctuation, and each letter takes the value of the nearest Greek sound: C, K and Q become kappa (20), F phi (500), H eta (8), J iota (10) like I, U, V and Y upsilon (400), W omega (800), X xi (60) and Z zeta (7). This is a convention, not an ancient rule.

The main output is the full total. Beside it sits a reduced figure, made by adding the digits until one remains, paired with a principle, a planet and a deity. The total is also split into thousands, hundreds, tens and units. A total equal to an entry in the famous-values list is flagged, Latin input gets a letter-by-letter breakdown, and an optional second name is checked for an exact match, a shared root and the difference.

Typed in Latin letters, Maria Silva gives M 40, A 1, R 100, I 10, A 1, which is 152, and S 200, I 10, L 30, V 400, A 1, which is 641. The total is 793: seven hundreds, nine tens, three units. Adding 7, 9 and 3 gives 19, then 10, so the reduced figure is 1. Written as Μαρία, the first name gives the same 152 and reduces to 8. The surname shows where transliteration matters: Σίλβα, with beta for the v, totals 243, whereas the Latin V alone adds 400.

Treat the total as the real result. Ancient users did not shrink sums to one digit; the point was setting equal totals side by side. A wall inscription at Pompeii names a beloved only by her number, epigram writers built couplets whose lines added up equally, and Suetonius records a jibe giving Nero's name the same value as a phrase accusing him of killing his mother. Using the comparison box in that spirit, with a nickname or a Greek spelling, is the most faithful use of the tool. The reduced digit is a later layer, best read as a prompt for reflection.

Isopsephy can show how a name is built and which words share its sum, but it cannot tell you anything about your character, choices or future.