Numbers and their word names

Numbers in words means expressing the given numerals in words or spellings. For example, the number 1000 in words is written as one thousand. We can represent all natural numbers in words on the basis of the place value of their digits, such as ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, and so on.

What are Number Names?

When numbers are expressed in words, we call them number names. Number names help us to learn and identify numbers easily.

• For example, 1 can be written and read in words as one, therefore, the number name for 1 is one.
• 2 is written and read in words as two.
• 3 is written in words as three.
• 4 is written and read in words as four.
• 5 is written and read in words as five.
• 6 is written and read in words as six.
• 7 is written and read in words as seven.
• 8 is written and read in words as eight.
• 9 is written and read in words as nine.
• 10 is written and read in words as ten.

With the help of number names from one to ten, we can write and read higher-value numbers in words.

Numbers in Words in English

To write numbers in words in English we use the place values (ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, lakhs, crores, and so on…) of each digit in the number. With the help of the Indian place value chart, it is easy to find the place value of each digit based on its position and the number can be written in words. Let us understand this with the help of an example.

Example: Write the given number in words: 23456789 according to the Indian place value chart and according to the International place value chart.

Solution:

According to the Indian place value system, 2,34,56,789 is written and read in words as two crores, thirty-four lakh, fifty-six thousand, seven hundred eighty-nine.

According to the International place value chart, 23,456,789 is written and read in words as twenty-three million, four hundred fifty-six thousand, seven hundred eighty-nine.

Number Names 1 to 100

Number names 1 to 100 can be read and understood using the pattern explained below. Observe the pattern to learn numbers in words from 1 to 100 along with their spellings. First let us start with number names from 1 to 20, followed by number names from 21 to 100.

Number Names 1 to 20

Given below is a chart showing number names from 1 to 20.

1 to 20 Spelling

‘1 to 20 spellings’ means that we need to write the number names from 1 to 20. So, whether we need to write ‘1 to 20 spellings’ or we are asked for ’11 to 20 spellings’, it means that we need to write their number names. The following chart shows the number names from 1 to 20.

Number Names 21 to 100

Observe the chart given below with number names from number 21 to 100 and learn the counting in words.

Numbers in Words in International System

The international system has different place value names for a certain position of a digit in a number. For example, the number 1,000,000 is read as 1 million in words in the international system, whereas, it is read as 10 lakhs in the Indian place value system. In the international system, different periods are formed to read and write large numbers easily. As per the International numeration system, the comma is placed in a number after the hundreds place and then placed after every three digits. The place values in the international system are Ones, Tens, Hundreds, Thousands, Ten Thousand, Hundred Thousands, Millions, and so on.

• 1 million = 1000 thousands
• 1 billion = 1000 millions

For example, the number 7,456,123 is written or read in words as seven million four hundred fifty-six thousand one hundred twenty-three in the international number system.

Rules to Write Number Names

There are certain rules that can be followed while writing the numbers in words. These rules are listed below in detail.

Rule 1: Understanding the place value system: The position of a number plays a very crucial role in writing a number in words. Let us understand how to differentiate between the place values based on the position of 1:

• 1 = ones place
• 10 = tens place
• 100 = hundreds place
• 1000 = thousands place

Rule 2: For numbers between 1-20 we can directly refer to the number names 1 to 20 chart to write their spellings. For example, the number name of 7 is seven, the number name of 15 is fifteen, and so on. After number 20 a generic series or pattern is followed.

Rule 3: The number names for multiples of 100 can be simply written by adding the word ‘hundred’ after the initial word. For example, the number name of 400 is four hundred, the number name for 500 is five hundred, and so on.

Rule 4: To write the number names of more than 2 digit numbers, we write the number in its expanded form. For example, 112 = 100 + 12, and 112 in words is written as one hundred twelve. The expanded form of 153 = 100 + 50 + 3 and 153 in words is written as One hundred fifty-three.

Tips to Learn Number Names

The following tips can be kept in mind to write numbers in words:

• The number names from 1 to 10 can be written directly because each number name is unique, as 1- one, 2-two, 3-three, and so on.
• The number names from 11 to 20 can also be written directly because each number name is unique, as 11 — eleven, 12-twelve, and so on.
• The numbers and spellings of the multiples of 10 can be written as 20- twenty, 30- thirty, 40- forty, 50- fifty, 60- sixty, 70- seventy, 80- eighty, 90- ninety.
• Now, after 20, starting from 21, we follow a different rule. The word form of 20 and 1 can be combined to write 21 as twenty-one, 22 as twenty-two, and so on. Similarly, we can write number names for 31, 41, 51, and so on.
• For large numbers write the number and their word form, like 100 — hundred, 1000 — thousand, and so on.
• The number 101 in words is written as one hundred one and 1001 is written as one thousand one and so on.

Observe the pattern which will help to write and read higher value numbers in words.

• 100 — Hundred
• 200 — Two-Hundred
• 300 — Three-Hundred
• 400 — Four-Hundred
• 500 — Five-Hundred
• 600 — Six-Hundred
• 700 — Seven-Hundred
• 800 — Eight-Hundred
• 900 — Nine-Hundred
• 1000 — One-Thousand or Thousand

Similarly,

• 2000 — Two thousand
• 5000 — Five thousand
• 10,000 — Ten Thousand
• 15,000 — Fifteen Thousand
• 16,000 — Sixteen thousand
• 20,000 — Twenty Thousand
• 25,000 — Twenty-Five Thousand
• 30,000 — Thirty Thousand
• 35,000 — Thirty-Five Thousand
• 40, 000 — Forty Thousand
• 45,000 — Forty-Five Thousand
• 100,000 — One hundred thousand (One Lakh)
• 200, 000 — Two hundred thousand (Two Lakhs)
• 300, 000 — Three hundred thousand (Three Lakhs)
• 400, 000 — Four hundred thousand (Four Lakhs)
• 500, 000 — Five hundred thousand (Five Lakhs)

Important Notes on Number Names

• Read the number from left to right.
• The number 40 in words is written as forty, not fourty.
• To write a number in words, first read the number and write the number name as you say it.

☛Related Articles

Check out these interesting articles to know more about Number Names and their related topics.

• Number names 1 to 10
• Number names 1 to 30
• Number names 1 to 40
• Number names 41 to 50

FAQs on Numbers in Words

What are Number Names in Math?

Number names in math are the infinite cardinal numbers starting from 1 to n written in their word form. To write number names we use the Indian place value system and the International place value system. For example, 798 is written as ‘seven hundred ninety-eight’.

How to Write Numbers in Words in International System?

In the International system of numeration, we use the place values as ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousand, hundred thousand, one million, ten million, hundred million, and so on, to write number names for large numbers. For example, 567,898 is written as ‘five hundred sixty-seven thousand eight hundred ninety-eight’.

☛ Check:

• Numbers in Words 51 to 60
• Numbers in Words 51 to 100
• Numbers in Words 91 to 100

How to Write 1100 in Words?

The number 1100 in words is written as One thousand one hundred.

☛ Number Names 1 to 50

How to Write Decimal Number Names?

Decimal number names can be written using the following steps. Let us write the number name for 25.578

• First, write the number name for the whole number part. Here, it will be Twenty-five
• Then, write the word ‘and’ for the decimal point. Here, it will be Twenty-five and.
• Now, write the number name for the decimal part, that is, the number to the right side of the decimal point. Here, it will be rewritten as twenty-five and five hundred seventy-eight thousandths. It should be noted that the decimal part is written using the decimal place value chart in which we use the place values like hundredths, thousandths and so on.

How to Write Number Names in International System?

In the international place-value system, we insert commas after every three digits from the right of the number. So while writing numbers in words we can check the place values and write numbers in words. For example, 37,824,500 is written in words as thirty-seven million eight hundred twenty-four thousand five hundred.

How to Write Numbers in Words?

To write a number in words, start from the left-most digit and write it according to its place value For example, 133 is read or written in words as one hundred thirty-three. By knowing the word form of numbers from 1 to 10 we can read and write the numbers easily. The word form of the first ten natural numbers is 1-one, 2-two, 3-three, 4-four, 5-five, 6-six, 7-seven, 8-eight, 9-nine, 10-ten.

☛ Also Read:

• Numbers in Words 100 to 200
• Numbers in Words 1 to 1000

How are Numbers in Words Useful in Real Life?

Numbers in words are useful in reading large numbers. If any document contains large numbers, the numbers in words help readers to read numbers correctly and quickly. While doing cheque payments, it is compulsory to write the numbers in figures as well as in words.

After twenty, there is a pattern to the words. The tens place uses the words twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty and ninety for 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90.

If the ones place has more than zero, the word is formed by using the ten’s place word, a hyphen, and then the ones place word. 

Examples : 

38 is thirty-eight

84 is eighty-four

25 is twenty-five

Before going to see example problems naming the numbers, let look into place values.

Example 1 :

How do you write this number using words? 

4,356

Solution :

Before naming the number, first we have to write their place values. This will help us for naming the numbers.

In the given number, we have 4 thousands 3 hundreds 5 tens and 6 ones.

Hence, the name of the number 4356 is

four thousand three hundred fifty-six

Example 2 :

How do you write this number using words?

2,405

Solution :

Before naming the number, first we have to write their place values. This will help us for naming the number.

In the given number, we have 2 thousands 4 hundreds 0 tens and 5 ones.

Hence, the name of the number 2405 is

two thousand four hundred five

Example 3 :

How do you write this number using words?

83,246

Solution :

Before naming the number, first we have to write their place values. This will help us for naming the number.

In the given number, we have 8 ten thousands 3 thousands 2 hundreds 4 tens 6 ones.

Hence, the name of the number 83246 is

eighty three thousands two hundred forty-six

Example 4 :

How do you write this number using words?

1,238,347

Solution :

Before naming the number, first we have to write their place values. This will help us for naming the number.

Hence, the name of the number 1238347 is

twelve million thirty-eight thousand three hundred forty-seven

Example 5 :

How do you write this number using words?

238

Solution :

Before naming the number, first we have to write their place values. This will help us for naming the number.

In the given number, we have 2 hundreds 3 tens 8 ones.

Hence, the name of the number 238 is

two hundred thirty-eight

Example 6 :

How do you write this number using words?

5005

Solution :

Before naming the number, first we have to write their place values. This will help us for naming the number.

In the given number, we have 5 thousands 0 hundreds 0 tens 5 ones.

Hence, the name of the number 5005 is

five thousand five

Example 7 :

How do you write this number using words?

37249

Solution :

Before naming the number, first we have to write their place values. This will help us for naming the number.

In the given number, we have 3 ten thousands 7 thousands 2 hundreds 4 tens 9 ones.

Hence, the name of the number 37249 is

thirty seven thousand two hundred forty-nine

Example 8 :

How do you write this number using words?

19376

Solution :

Before naming the number, first we have to write their place values. This will help us for naming the number.

In the given number, we have 1 ten thousands 9 thousands 3 hundreds 7 tens 6 ones.

Hence, the name of the number 19376 is

nineteen thousand three hundred fifty-six

Example 9 :

How do you write this number using words?

25376

Solution :

Before naming the number, first we have to write their place values. This will help us for naming the number.

In the given number, we have 2 ten thousands 5 thousands 3 hundreds 7 tens 6 ones.

Hence, the name of the number 25376 is

twenty five thousand three hundred seventy six

Example 10 :

How do you write this number using words?

146

Solution :

Before naming the number, first we have to write their place values. This will help us for naming the number.

In the given number, we have 1 hundred 4 tens 6 ones.

Hence, the name of the number 146 is

one hundred forty-six

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English number words include numerals and various words derived from them, as well as a large number of words borrowed from other languages.

Cardinal numbers[edit]

Cardinal numbers refer to the size of a group. In English, these words are numerals.

If a number is in the range 21 to 99, and the second digit is not zero, the number is typically written as two words separated by a hyphen.

In English, the hundreds are perfectly regular, except that the word hundred remains in its singular form regardless of the number preceding it.

So too are the thousands, with the number of thousands followed by the word «thousand». For the number one thousand it may be written 1 000 or 1000 or 1,000, for larger numbers they are written for example 10 000 or 10,000 for ease of human reading^{[example needed]}. The use of the , as a separator is avoided in some languages^{[citation needed]} as it is used for a decimal placement, for example with money^{[citation needed]}. As a result some style guides^{[example needed]} recommend avoidance of the comma (,) as a separator and only to use the period (.) as a decimal placement. Thus a half would be written 0.5 in decimal, base ten notation, and fifty thousand as 50 000, and not 50.000 nor 50,000 nor 50000. As the English language has no language academy to make usage correct there is still a wide variety of usage, other languages do have language academies which ruled on these matters^{[example needed]}, yet their rulings are deprecated by international standards like the SI system or EU recommendations^{[example needed]} which leads to varied usage.

In American usage, four-digit numbers are often named using multiples of «hundred» and combined with tens and ones: «eleven hundred three», «twelve hundred twenty-five», «forty-seven hundred forty-two», or «ninety-nine hundred ninety-nine.» In British usage, this style is common for multiples of 100 between 1,000 and 2,000 (e.g. 1,500 as «fifteen hundred») but not for higher numbers.

Americans may pronounce four-digit numbers with non-zero tens and ones as pairs of two-digit numbers without saying «hundred» and inserting «oh» for zero tens: «twenty-six fifty-nine» or «forty-one oh five». This usage probably evolved from the distinctive usage for years; «nineteen-eighty-one», or from four-digit numbers used in the American telephone numbering system which were originally two letters followed by a number followed by a four-digit number, later by a three-digit number followed by the four-digit number. It is avoided for numbers less than 2500 if the context may mean confusion with time of day: «ten ten» or «twelve oh four».

Intermediate numbers are read differently depending on their use. Their typical naming occurs when the numbers are used for counting. Another way is for when they are used as labels. The second column method is used much more often in American English than British English. The third column is used in British English but rarely in American English (although the use of the second and third columns is not necessarily directly interchangeable between the two regional variants). In other words, British English and American English can seemingly agree, but it depends on a specific situation (in this example, bus numbers).^{[citation needed]}

Note: When a cheque (or check) is written, the number 100 is always written «one hundred». It is never «a hundred».

In American English, many students are taught^{[example needed]},^{[citation needed]} not to use the word and anywhere in the whole part of a number, so it is not used before the tens and ones. It is instead used as a verbal delimiter when dealing with compound numbers. Thus, instead of «three hundred and seventy-three,» «three hundred seventy-three» would be said. Despite this rule, some Americans use the and in reading numbers containing tens and ones as an alternative variant.

Very large numbers[edit]

For numbers above a million, three main systems name numbers in English (for the use of prefixes such as kilo- for a thousand, mega- for a million, milli- for a thousandth, etc. see SI units):

• the long scale (formerly used in British English but now less so) designates a system of numeric names in which a thousand million is called a milliard, and billion is used for a million million. This system is still used in several other European languages.
• the short scale (always used in American English and almost invariably in British English) designates a system of numeric names in which a thousand million is called a billion, and the word milliard is not used.
• the Indian numbering system, used widely in Indian subcontinent.

Many people have no direct experience of manipulating numbers this large, and many non-American readers may interpret billion as 10¹² (even if they are young enough to have been taught otherwise at school); moreover, usage of the «long» billion is standard in some non-English speaking countries. For these reasons, defining the word may be advisable when writing for the public.

The numbers past one trillion in the short scale, in ascending powers of 1000, are as follows: quadrillion, quintillion, sextillion, septillion, octillion, nonillion, decillion, undecillion, duodecillion, tredecillion, quattuordecillion, quindecillion, sexdecillion, septendecillion, octodecillion, novemdecillion and vigintillion (which is 10 to the 63rd power, or a one followed by 63 zeros). The highest number in this series listed in modern dictionaries is centillion, which is 10 to the 303rd power.^[1] The interim powers of one thousand between vigintillion and centillion do not have standardized names, nor do any higher powers, but there are many ad hoc extensions in use. The highest number listed in Robert Munafo’s table of such unofficial names^[2] is milli-millillion, which was coined as a name for 10 to the 3,000,003rd power.

The googolplex was often cited as the largest named number in English. If a googol is ten to the one hundredth power, then a googolplex is one followed by a googol of zeros (that is, ten to the power of a googol).^[3] There is the coinage, of very little use, of ten to the googolplex power, of the word googolplexplex.

The terms arab, kharab, padm and shankh are more commonly found in old books on Indian mathematics.

Here are some approximate composite large numbers in American English:

Often, large numbers are written with (preferably non-breaking) half-spaces or thin spaces separating the thousands (and, sometimes, with normal spaces or apostrophes) instead of commas—to ensure that confusion is not caused in countries where a decimal comma is used. Thus, a million is often written 1 000 000.

In some areas, a point (. or ·) may also be used as a thousands separator, but then the decimal separator must be a comma (,). In English the point (.) is used as the decimal separator, and the comma (,) as the thousands separator.

Special names[edit]

Some numbers have special names in addition to their regular names, most depending on context.

• 0:
  • zero: formal scientific usage
  • nought: mostly British usage, common in science to refer to subscript 0 indicating an initial state
  • naught: archaic term for nothingness, which may or may not be equivalent to the number; mostly American usage, old-fashioned spelling of nought
  • aught: proscribed but still occasionally used when a digit is 0 (as in «thirty-aught-six», the .30-06 Springfield rifle cartridge and by association guns that fire it). Aughts also refers to the decade of 2000-2009 in American English.
  • oh: used when spelling numbers (like telephone, bank account, bus line [British: bus route]) but can cause confusion with the letter o if reading a mix of numbers and letters
  • nil: in general sport scores, British usage («The score is two–nil.»)
  • nothing: in general sport scores, American usage («The score is two–nothing.»)
  • null: to an object or idea related to nothingness. The 0th aleph number () is pronounced «aleph-null».
  • love: in tennis, badminton, squash and similar sports (origin disputed, said by the Oxford English Dictionary to be from the idea that when one does a thing «for love», that is for no monetary gain, the word «love» implies «nothing». The previously held belief that it originated from French: l’œuf, lit. ‘the egg’, due to its shape, is no longer widely accepted)
  • zilch, nada (from Spanish), zip: used informally when stressing nothingness; this is true especially in combination with one another («You know nothing—zero, zip, nada, zilch!»); American usage
  • nix: also used as a verb; mostly American usage
  • cypher / cipher: archaic, from French chiffre, in turn from Arabic sifr, meaning zero
  • goose egg (informal)
  • duck (used in cricket when a batsman is dismissed without scoring)
  • blank the half of a domino tile with no pips
• 1:
  • ace in certain sports and games, as in tennis or golf, indicating success with one stroke, and the face of a die, playing card or domino half with one pip
  • birdie in golf denotes one stroke less than par, and bogey, one stroke more than par
  • solo
  • unit
  • linear the degree of a polynomial is 1; also for explicitly denoting the first power of a unit: linear metre
  • unity in mathematics
  • protagonist first actor in theatre of Ancient Greece, similarly Proto-Isaiah and proton
• 2:
  • couple
  • brace, from Old French «arms» (the plural of arm), as in «what can be held in two arms».
  • pair
  • deuce the face of a die, playing card or domino half with two pips
  • eagle in golf denotes two strokes less than par
  • duo
  • quadratic the degree of a polynomial is 2
    • also square or squared for denoting the second power of a unit: square metre or metre squared
  • penultimate, second from the end
  • deuteragonist second actor in theatre of Ancient Greece, similarly Deutero-Isaiah and deuteron
• 3:
  • trey the face of a die or playing card with three pips, a three-point field goal in basketball, nickname for the third carrier of the same personal name in a family
  • trio
  • trips: three-of-a-kind in a poker hand. a player has three cards with the same numerical value
  • cubic the degree of a polynomial is 3
    • also cube or cubed for denoting the third power of a unit: cubic metre or metre cubed
  • albatross in golf denotes three strokes less than par. Sometimes called double eagle
  • hat-trick or hat trick: achievement of three feats in sport or other contexts^[4]
  • antepenultimate third from the end
  • tritagonist third actor in theatre of Ancient Greece, similarly Trito-Isaiah and triton
  • turkey in bowling, three consecutive strikes
• 4:
  • cater: (rare) the face of a die or playing card with four pips
  • quartet
  • quartic or biquadratic the degree of a polynomial is 4
  • quad (short for quadruple or the like) several specialized sets of four, such as four of a kind in poker, a carburetor with four inputs, etc.,
  • condor in golf denotes four strokes less than par
  • preantepenultimate fourth from the end
• 5:
  • cinque or cinq (rare) the face of a die or playing card with five pips
  • quintet
  • nickel (informal American, from the value of the five-cent US nickel, but applied in non-monetary references)
  • quintic the degree of a polynomial is 5
  • quint (short for quintuplet or the like) several specialized sets of five, such as quintuplets, etc.
• 6:
  • half a dozen
  • sice (rare) the face of a die or playing card with six pips
  • sextet
  • sextic or hectic the degree of a polynomial is 6
• 7:
  • septet
  • septic or heptic the degree of a polynomial is 7
• 8:
  • octet
• 9:
  • nonet
• 10:
  • dime (informal American, from the value of the ten-cent US dime, but applied in non-monetary references)
  • decet
  • decade, used for years but also other groups of 10 as in rosary prayers or Braille symbols
• 11: a banker’s dozen
• 12: a dozen (first power of the duodecimal base), used mostly in commerce
• 13: a baker’s dozen
• 20: a score (first power of the vigesimal base), nowadays archaic; famously used in the opening of the Gettysburg Address: «Four score and seven years ago…» The Number of the Beast in the King James Bible is rendered «Six hundred threescore and six». Also in The Book of Common Prayer, Psalm 90 as used in the Burial Service—»The days of our age are threescore years and ten; ….»
• 50: half-century, literally half of a hundred, usually used in cricket scores.
• 55: double-nickel (informal American)
• 60: a shock: historical commercial count, described as «three scores».^[5]
• 100:
  • A century, also used in cricket scores and in cycling for 100 miles.
  • A ton, in Commonwealth English, the speed of 100 mph^[6] or 100 km/h.
  • A small hundred or short hundred (archaic, see 120 below)
• 120:
  • A great hundred or long hundred (twelve tens; as opposed to the small hundred, i.e. 100 or ten tens), also called small gross (ten dozens), both archaic
  • Also sometimes referred to as duodecimal hundred, although that could literally also mean 144, which is twelve squared
• 144: a gross (a dozen dozens, second power of the duodecimal base), used mostly in commerce
• 500: a ream
• 1000:
  • a grand, colloquially used especially when referring to money, also in fractions and multiples, e.g. half a grand, two grand, etc. Grand can also be shortened to «G» in many cases.
  • K, originally from the abbreviation of kilo-, e.g. «He only makes $20K a year.»
  • Millennium (plural: millennia), a period of one thousand years.
  • kilo- (Greek for «one thousand»), a decimal unit prefix in the Metric system denoting multiplication by «one thousand». For example: 1 kilometre = 1000 metres.
• 1728: a great gross (a dozen gross, third power of the duodecimal base), used historically in commerce
• 10,000: a myriad (a hundred hundred), commonly used in the sense of an indefinite very high number
• 100,000: a lakh (a hundred thousand), in Indian English
• 10,000,000: a crore (a hundred lakh), in Indian English and written as 100,00,000.
• 10¹⁰⁰: googol (1 followed by 100 zeros), used in mathematics
• 10^googol: googolplex (1 followed by a googol of zeros)
• 10^googolplex: googolplexplex (1 followed by a googolplex of zeros)

Combinations of numbers in most sports scores are read as in the following examples:

• 1–0    British English: one-nil; American English: one-nothing, one-zip, or one-zero
• 0–0    British English: nil-nil or nil all; American English: zero-zero or nothing-nothing, (occasionally scoreless or no score)
• 2–2    two-two or two all; American English also twos, two to two, even at two, or two up.

Naming conventions of Tennis scores (and related sports) are different from other sports.

The centuries of Italian culture have names in English borrowed from Italian:

• duecento «(one thousand and) two hundred» for the years 1200 to 1299, or approximately 13th century
• trecento 14th century
• quattrocento 15th century
• cinquecento 16th century
• seicento 17th century
• settecento 18th century
• ottocento 19th century
• novecento 20th century
• ventesimo 21st century

When reading numbers in a sequence, such as a telephone or serial number, British people will usually use the terms double followed by the repeated number. Hence 007 is double oh seven. Exceptions are the emergency telephone number 999, which is always nine nine nine and the apocalyptic «Number of the Beast», which is always six six six. In the US, 911 (the US emergency telephone number) is usually read nine one one, while 9/11 (in reference to the September 11, 2001, attacks) is usually read nine eleven.

Multiplicative adverbs and adjectives[edit]

A few numbers have specialised multiplicative numbers (adverbs), also called adverbial numbers, which express how many times some event happens:

Compare these specialist multiplicative numbers to express how many times some thing exists (adjectives):

English also has some multipliers and distributive numbers, such as singly.

Other examples are given in the Specialist Numbers.

Negative numbers[edit]

The name of a negative number is the name of the corresponding positive number preceded by «minus» or (American English) «negative». Thus −5.2 is «minus five point two» or «negative five point two». For temperatures, North Americans colloquially say «below»—short for «below zero»—so a temperature of −5° is «five below» (in contrast, for example, to «two above» for 2°). This is occasionally used for emphasis when referring to several temperatures or ranges both positive and negative. This is particularly common in Canada where the use of Celsius in weather forecasting means that temperatures can regularly drift above and below zero at certain times of year.

Ordinal numbers[edit]

Ordinal numbers refer to a position in a series. Common ordinals include:

Zeroth only has a meaning when counting starts with zero, which happens in a mathematical or computer science context. Ordinal numbers predate the invention of zero and positional notation.

Ordinal numbers such as 21st, 33rd, etc., are formed by combining a cardinal ten with an ordinal unit.

Higher ordinals are not often written in words, unless they are round numbers (thousandth, millionth, billionth). They are written with digits and letters as described below. Some rules should be borne in mind.

• The suffixes -th, -st, -nd and -rd are occasionally written superscript above the number itself.
• If the tens digit of a number is 1, then «th» is written after the number. For example: 13th, 19th, 112th, 9,311th.
• If the tens digit is not equal to 1, then the following table could be used:

• For example: 2nd, 7th, 20th, 23rd, 52nd, 135th, 301st.

These ordinal abbreviations are actually hybrid contractions of a numeral and a word. 1st is «1» + «st» from «first«. Similarly, «nd» is used for «second» and «rd» for «third«. In the legal field and in some older publications, the ordinal abbreviation for «second» and «third» is simply «d».

• For example: 42d, 33d, 23d.

NB: «D» still often denotes «second» and «third» in the numeric designations of units in the US armed forces, for example, 533d Squadron, and in legal citations for the second and third series of case reporters.

Dates[edit]

There are a number of ways to read years. The following table offers a list of valid pronunciations and alternate pronunciations for any given year of the Gregorian calendar and Julian calendar.

Twelve thirty-four would be the norm on both sides of the Atlantic for the year 1234. The years 2000 to 2009 are most often read as two thousand, two thousand (and) one and the like by both British and American speakers. For years after 2009, twenty eleven, twenty fourteen, etc. are more common, even in years earlier than 2009 BC/BCE. Likewise, the years after 1009 (until 1099) are also read in the same manner (e.g. 1015 is either ten fifteen or, rarely, one thousand fifteen). Some Britons read years within the 1000s to 9000s BC/BCE in the American manner, that is, 1234 BC is read as twelve (hundred and) thirty-four BC, while 2400 BC can be read as either two thousand four hundred or twenty four hundred BC.

Collective numbers[edit]

Collective numbers are numbers that refer to a group of a specific size. Words like «pair» and «dozen» are common in English, though most are formally derived from Greek and Latin numerals, as follows:

Fractions and decimals[edit]

Numbers used to denote the denominator of a fraction are known linguistically as «partitive numerals». In spoken English, ordinal numerals and partitive numerals are identical with a few exceptions. Thus «fifth» can mean the element between fourth and sixth, or the fraction created by dividing the unit into five pieces. When used as a partitive numeral, these forms can be pluralized: one seventh, two sevenths. The sole exceptions to this rule are division by one, two, and sometimes four: «first» and «second» cannot be used for a fraction with a denominator of one or two. Instead, «whole» and «half» (plural «halves») are used. For a fraction with a denominator of four, either «fourth» or «quarter» may be used.

Here are some common English fractions, or partitive numerals:^[8]

	one one-hundredth
	two one-hundredths
	three one-hundredths
	one two-hundredth
	two two-hundredths
	three two-hundredths
	one-sixteenth
or 0.1	one-tenth
	one-eighth
or 0.2	two-tenths or one-fifth
	one-quarter or one-fourth
or 0.3	three-tenths
	one-third
	three-eighths
or 0.4	four-tenths or two-fifths
	one-half
or 0.6	six-tenths or three-fifths
	five-eighths
	two-thirds
or 0.7	seven-tenths
	three-quarters or three-fourths
or 0.8	eight-tenths or four-fifths
	seven-eighths
or 0.9	nine-tenths
	fifteen-sixteenths

Alternatively, and for greater numbers, one may say for 1/2 «one over two», for 5/8 «five over eight», and so on. This «over» form is also widely used in mathematics.

Fractions together with an integer are read as follows:

• 1½ is «one and a half»
• 6¼ is «six and a quarter»
• 7⅝ is «seven and five eighths»

A space is required between the whole number and the fraction; however, if a special fraction character is used like «½», then the space can be done without, e.g.

• 9 1/2
• 9½

Numbers with a decimal point may be read as a cardinal number, then «and», then another cardinal number followed by an indication of the significance of the second cardinal number (mainly U.S.); or as a cardinal number, followed by «point», and then by the digits of the fractional part. The indication of significance takes the form of the denominator of the fraction indicating division by the smallest power of ten larger than the second cardinal. This is modified when the first cardinal is zero, in which case neither the zero nor the «and» is pronounced, but the zero is optional in the «point» form of the fraction.

Some American and Canadian schools teach students to pronounce decimaly written fractions (for example, .5) as though they were longhand fractions (five tenths), such as thirteen and seven tenths for 13.7. This formality is often dropped in common speech and is steadily disappearing in instruction in mathematics and science as well as in international American schools. In the U.K., and among most North Americans, 13.7 would be read thirteen point seven.

For example:

• 0.002 is «point zero zero two», «point oh oh two», «nought point zero zero two», etc.; or «two thousandths» (U.S., occasionally)
• 3.1416 is «three point one four one six»
• 99.3 is «ninety-nine point three»; or «ninety-nine and three tenths» (U.S., occasionally).

In English the decimal point was originally printed in the center of the line (0·002), but with the advent of the typewriter it was placed at the bottom of the line, so that a single key could be used as a full stop/period and as a decimal point. In many non-English languages a full-stop/period at the bottom of the line is used as a thousands separator with a comma being used as the decimal point.

Whether or not digits or words are used[edit]

With few exceptions, most grammatical texts rule that the numbers zero to nine inclusive should be «written out» – instead of «1» and «2», one would write «one» and «two».^[9]

Example: «I have two apples.» (Preferred)

Example: «I have 2 apples.»

After «nine», one can head straight back into the 10, 11, 12, etc., although some write out the numbers until «twelve».

Example: «I have 28 grapes.» (Preferred)

Example: «I have twenty-eight grapes.»

Another common usage is to write out any number that can be expressed as one or two words, and use figures otherwise.

Examples:

«There are six million dogs.» (Preferred)

«There are 6,000,000 dogs.»

«That is one hundred and twenty-five oranges.» (British English)

«That is one hundred twenty-five oranges.» (US-American English)

«That is 125 oranges.» (Preferred)

Numbers at the beginning of a sentence should also be written out, or the sentence rephrased.

The above rules are not always followed. In literature, larger numbers might be spelled out. On the other hand, digits might be more commonly used in technical or financial articles, where many figures are discussed. In particular, the two different forms should not be used for figures that serve the same purpose; for example, it is inelegant to write, «Between day twelve and day 15 of the study, the population doubled.»

Empty numbers[edit]

Colloquial English’s small vocabulary of empty numbers can be employed when there is uncertainty as to the precise number to use, but it is desirable to define a general range: specifically, the terms «umpteen», «umpty», and «zillion». These are derived etymologically from the range affixes:

• «-teen» (designating the range as being between 13 and 19 inclusive)
• «-ty» (designating the range as being between 20 and 90 inclusive)
• «-illion» (designating the range as being above 1,000,000; or, more generally, as being extremely large).

The prefix «ump-» is added to the first two suffixes to produce the empty numbers «umpteen» and «umpty»: it is of uncertain origin. A noticeable absence of an empty number is in the hundreds range.

Usage of empty numbers:

• The word «umpteen» may be used as an adjective, as in «I had to go to umpteen stores to find shoes that fit.» It can also be used to modify a larger number, usually «million», as in «Umpteen million people watched the show; but they still cancelled it.»
• «Umpty» is not in common usage. It can appear in the form «umpty-one» (paralleling the usage in such numbers as «twenty-one»), as in «There are umpty-one ways to do it wrong.» «Umpty-ump» is also heard, though «ump» is never used by itself.
• The word «zillion» may be used as an adjective, modifying a noun. The noun phrase normally contains the indefinite article «a», as in «There must be a zillion pages on the World Wide Web.»
• The plural «zillions» designates a number indefinitely larger than «millions» or «billions». In this case, the construction is parallel to the one for «millions» or «billions», with the number used as a plural count noun, followed by a prepositional phrase with «of», as in «There are zillions of grains of sand on the beaches of the world.»
• Empty numbers are sometimes made up, with obvious meaning: «squillions» is obviously an empty, but very large, number; a «squintillionth» would be a very small number.
• Some empty numbers may be modified by actual numbers, such as «four zillion», and are used for jest, exaggeration, or to relate abstractly to actual numbers.
• Empty numbers are colloquial, and primarily used in oral speech or informal contexts. They are inappropriate in formal or scholarly usage.

See also Placeholder name.

See also[edit]

• Indefinite and fictitious numbers
• List of numbers
• Long and short scales
• Names of large numbers
• Natural number
• Number prefixes and their derivatives

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• English Numbers — explanations, exercises and number generator (cardinal and ordinal numbers)

Number Names

George Lakoff has pointed out that we do not normally distinguish numbers from what might be more properly be called number names. (Lakoff 1989)  The most common number naming systems adopt base-10 and use ten single-digit number names, for instance (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9). They then form other multi-digit number names (21,  1342 etc) from these basic number names, or numerals, using a positional representation. With Arabic numerals this starts with the rightmost numeral being the quantity of units and the next leftward numeral being the quantity of tens and so on.

But many other bases are possible, the next most common probably being base-2 or binary, with just two basic number names (0 and 1). The difference between numbers and number names can therefore perhaps best be understood by realising that the number name ‘3’ in base-10 (3 × 10⁰) represents the same quantity or numerosity as the number name ’11’ in base-2 ((1 × 2¹ ) + (1 × 2⁰)). That is the base used, as well as the digits or glyphs adopted, can change the way any particular quantity, numerosity or number is represented.

Cardinal numbers measure the size of  collections or sets and therefore include the number zero needed to represent the size of an empty collection or set. In English cardinal numbers are nouns.

Ordinal numbers represent position or rank in a sequential, spatial or temporal lists or order and therefore do not include zero, there is no zeroth element in a sequential list. In English ordinal numbers are adjectives.

Number Words

Number names in this sense are different and distinct from number words, the verbal version of numbers, the way numbers are spoken or transliterated, (one, two, three etc.). see Five Finger Exercises

In English, verbal numbers are organised as a hybrid series of additions and multiplications summarised, for the cardinal Arabic number 350172, by the graph below where the plus signs indicate addition and the X signs multiplication.

After Dehaene (1992) Varieties of Numerical Abilities Cognition, 44 1-42

So that ((((three is multiplied by a hundred) and added to fifty) which is then multiplied by a thousand) and added to ((one multiplied by a hundred) added to (seventy added to two)))

This system involves a combination of simple number words; one, two, three etc., some special multiplier words like hundred, thousand etc and the particularly English -ty words like sixty, seventy, eighty and ninety plus the slightly modified twenty, thirty, forty and fifty. And -teen words like thirteen, fourteen etc. plus the unique eleven and twelve.

With Arabic numerals the same cardinal number (350172) is represented positionally; starting with the rightmost numeral being the quantity of units (2) and the next leftward numeral being the quantity of tens (7) etc. Note that Arabic numbers are read, or more accurately generated, from right to left, perhaps betraying their origin.

Chinese number words follow a similar but somewhat simpler, more regular pattern.

Comparison of English and Chinese Number Words

Some of the extra complexity of English number words derive from spelling conventions rather than word sound, for instance eigh[]teen, fo[]rty and eigh[]ty. There is also some evidence of pronunciation slippage. Thus twelve and twenty to avoid the awkwardness of twoteen and twoty, thirteen and thirty to avoid threeteen and threety and fifteen and fifty to avoid fiveteen and fivety.

Ordinal Number Words

In English the initial verbal ordinal words are the unique first, second, and third, but typically ordinals have a th suffix added to the cardinal name for the number, so fourth, sixth, seventh, nineth, and tenth plus the slightly modified in spelling terms fif[]th, and eigh[]th. The multiple powers of ten have an ieth suffix replacing the y ending of the cardinal name, so twentieth from twenty, thirtieth from thirty, fortieth from forty etc. Again these are organised as a hybrid series of additions and multiplications.

In English the Arabic version of ordinals borrow their suffices from the end of their verbal equivalents, so we have 1st (from first), 2nd (from second) and 3rd (from third), followed by 4th .. 20th then 21st, 22nd and 23rd etc.

The first three English ordinals have interestingly varied etymologies.  First derives from the Old English fyr(e)st and Old Norse fyrst, having the sense of furthest forward, and the German Fürst, a prince, that is furthest forward in rank. Second derives from the Latin sequi follow, secundus following and second via Old French into Middle English. Third derives from Old English thridda via English thrid which was the most common spelling until the 16th century.

A Latinate ordinal system is also used to represent importance and precedence,  primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary etc. which are rarely used beyond the first four. So primary, secondary and tertiary education. This system is also used to indicate a sequence of  dependent effects, thus secondary picketing.

In technical and academic practice Greek ordinals are also used as prefixes proto-, deutero-, trite- and  tetarto-, thus proto-renaissance, protagonist and deuterium.

Fractions

When speaking of fractions a half is used for 1/2, a quarter for 1/4 and three quarters for 3/4 but a fourth is also used in music. Otherwise ordinals are used as in a third for 1/3, a fifth, a sixth etc. In the more general case a cardinal number is used for the numerator and an ordinal for the denominator, so 2/3 is two thirds and 19/32 is nineteen thirty seconds etc.

Transcoding

Literate English speakers have no problem reading, writing, comprehending or producing all these systems and transcoding between them even though there is evidence, through the study of patients with deficits in one or more of these capacities, of a neurological dissociation between the verbal and written systems (McCloskey 1992)

Bibliography

Dehaene, S. (1992) Varieties of Numerical Abilities Cognition, 44 1-42

Lakoff, G. (1987) Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things University of Chicago, Chicago Page 150

Lakoff, G. and Núñez, R. (2000) Where Mathematics Comes From Basic Books, New York

McCloskey, M. (1992) Cognitive mechanisms in numerical processing: Evidence from acquired dyscalculia, Cognition 44 107-157

Numbers in Words is writing the numbers in alphabetical form instead of digits. There are various systems to write numbers in words. After reading this article, you can write whole numbers in words, and write numbers in word form in standard form. We will primarily focus on the Indian & International number system of writing numbers in words in English, with their Rules, Tricks to remember and write spellings. You can learn to spell numbers in words 1 to 100 with Solved Examples and FAQs.

What is Number in Words?

Alphabetical form of numbers is called writing numbers in words. These are numbers written in words as the name implies. In the English language, the number 100, for example, is written as one hundred. All natural numbers, such as ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, and so on, can be represented in words based on the place value of their digits.

What is a Number Name?

Number name is the method of representing numbers in words. The alphabetical form of numbers is called number words. These are numbers written in words as the name implies. In language, the number 100, for example, is written as one hundred. All natural numbers, such as ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, and so on, can be represented as number names based on the place value of their digits.

Examples: 128 = 100 + 20 + 8. One hundred and twenty-eight is the number name of 128.

412 = 400 + 10 + 2 = 400 + 10 + 2 = 400 + 10 + 2 = 400 + 10 + 2 = 400 + 10 + 2 = 400 + 10 + 2 = 400 + 12. As a result, the number 412’s name is Four Hundred and Twelve.

685 = 600 + 80 + 5. = 685 = 600 + 80 + 5. Six hundred eighty-five is the number name for 685.

List of Number Names from 1 to 20

Here is a list of Numbers in Words from 1 – 20. A 1-20 number chart is a great way to teach your youngster numbers and practise one-to-one correspondence. The numbers 1 through 20 are represented in the graphic. Each number has a term for it, as well as a number of visuals that correspond to it.

List of Number Names from 1 to 50

Here’s a list of Numbers in Words from 1 to 50. 1-50 number chart is a great way to teach and learn number names.

List of Number Names from 1 to 100

Here’s a list of Numbers in Words from 1 – 100. A 1-100 number chart is a great way to teach and learn number names.

How to write a Number in Words using International System?

It is based on the International Place Value Chart. The steps to write numbers in International System are as follows.

Step 1: First, we begin from the right side and insert commas after every three digits.

Step 2: Each group is assigned a period starting from the right-hand side as ones, thousands, and millions, followed by billions and so on. This becomes the place value of the digits.

Step 3: Identify the face value of each digit. For example, if a number is 56, the face value of 6 is simply 6, however, if a number is 567, the place value is in the tens place, which is 60.

Step 4: We add up the amounts in the same period. For example, in 27,000 we have a place value of 2 as twenty thousand and 7 as seven thousand. Together it becomes 20 + 7 i.e. twenty-seven thousand.

Step 5: Now write down the face value of each number starting from the left-hand side.

How to write a Number in Words using Indian System?

It is based on the Indian Place Value Chart. The Indian System is a little different from the International system. But it can be easily learnt below and you can convert numbers to words in Indian rupees.

Step 1: First, we begin from the right side and insert commas. The first group is after three-digit and after that every two digits.

Step 2: Each group is assigned a period starting from the right hand side as ones, thousands, lakhs, crores and so on. This becomes the place value of the digits.

Step 3: Identify the face value of each digit. For example, if a number is 56, the face value of 6 is simply 6, however, if a number is 567, the place value is in the tens place, which is 60.

Step 4: We add up the amounts in the same period. For example, in 27,000 we have a place value of 2 as twenty thousand and 7 as seven thousand. Together it becomes 20 + 7 i.e. twenty-seven thousand.

Step 5: Now write down the face value of each number starting from the left-hand side.

Rules of Writing Numbers in Words

• In any Numbering System, we always start on the right side. The number is divided into periods, each of which is read separately.
• Small numbers ranging from one to ten (or one to nine, depending on the style guide) should normally be spelt out in writing.
• Numbers greater than 10 are written as numerals.
• All compound numerals from twenty-one to ninety-nine should be hyphenated.

Tips to Write Numbers in Words

• Using simple Number/Rhyme pictures associated with a storey is the easiest, but the least reliable, approach to recalling numbers.
• A preferable method is to employ a simple peg system, in which you can correlate numerals from the Number/Rhyme System with positions structured using the Alphabet System.

Solved Examples of Numbers in Words

Example 1: Write the numbers in the International and Indian place-value system place commas and the name of the following numbers.

Solution: 721336598 in the Indian system:

Let’s interpret the number by arranging the digits in the Indian place value system from left to right according to their locations as ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, and so on.

The number is written as 72,13,36,598 and read as

Seventy-two crores thirteen lakh thirty-six thousand five hundred and ninety-eight.

721336598 in the International System:

Now, in the international place value system, arrange the digits from left to right according to their locations as ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, and so on, and read and write the number.

The number is written as 721,336,598

Let’s read the number by arranging the digits from left to right.

Seven hundred and twenty-one million, three and thirty-six, hundred thousand five hundred and ninety-eight.

Example 2: Using the International system, write the number; Six million, four hundred and eleven thousand, two hundred and sixty.

Solution: 6,411,260.

Example 3: Using the international system, read the number 7456123.

Solution: 7456123- Seven million Four Hundred Fifty-six thousand one hundred twenty-three.

Example 4: Write the number in words: 12,367,169.

Solution: Twelve million, three hundred and sixty-seven thousand, one hundred and sixty-nine.

Example 5: Write seven hundred forty-three million eight hundred thirteen thousand two hundred fifty-six in the numeral form using the international system.

Solution: 743,813,256.

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