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IDF in Hebrew is צה״ל (tsáhal).

It can also be said צבא הגנה לישראל, depending on the meaning. Below are the vowel points, how each word is said, its gender and its plural.

צה״ל
tsáhal
name · masculine
In English

IDF

The stress falls on the vowel in colour.

English words in HebrewWords starting with I

These are the Hebrew words for IDF as a name.

Israel Defense Forces

  • צה״לtsáhalmasculine
  • צְבָא הֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵלצבא הגנה לישראלts'vá haganá l'yisra'élmasculine

This is more about the Hebrew word צה״ל.

Written with vowel points
צה״ל
Written without vowel points
צה״ל
Said
tsáhal
Its meanings in English
IDF, acronym of צבא הגנה לישראל: IDF

These words come before and after IDF in the list.

These are the questions people ask about ⁨IDF⁩ in Hebrew.

How do you say ⁨IDF⁩ in Hebrew?

⁨IDF⁩ in Hebrew is ⁨צה״ל⁩, said tsáhal.

What are other Hebrew words for ⁨IDF⁩?

Besides ⁨צה״ל⁩, ⁨IDF⁩ can be said ⁨צְבָא הֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל⁩ (ts'vá haganá l'yisra'él), depending on the meaning.

Is ⁨צה״ל⁩ masculine or feminine?

The word ⁨צה״ל⁩ is masculine.

What else does ⁨צה״ל⁩ mean in English?

Besides ⁨IDF⁩, ⁨צה״ל⁩ can mean ⁨acronym of צבא הגנה לישראל: IDF⁩.

The Hebrew translations, transliterations, genders and plurals on this page are adapted from Wiktionary's entry IDF and its entries for the Hebrew words, read on 5 November 2026, and are shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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