Numbers are essential for our daily lives. We use them to count objects, measure quantities, and perform calculations. But what happens when we need to write a number in words? Whether you’re writing a check, filling out a form, or composing a formal letter, knowing how to write numbers in words is crucial. While it may seem daunting at first, mastering this skill is easier than you think. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll break down the rules and techniques for writing numbers in words, empowering you to confidently navigate any written communication.
To begin with, let’s establish a foundational understanding of the number system. The number system we use today is the Hindu-Arabic numeral system, which originated in India. This system consists of ten digits: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. By combining these digits, we can represent any number, from the smallest to the largest. When writing numbers in words, it’s important to be mindful of the place value of each digit. The place value determines the value of the digit based on its position within the number.
As we delve deeper into the intricacies of writing numbers in words, we’ll explore the use of various words and phrases. For example, we’ll learn how to write numbers in the hundreds, thousands, millions, and beyond. We’ll also cover special cases, such as writing numbers with decimals and fractions. Furthermore, we’ll provide practical tips and tricks to help you memorize the rules and avoid common mistakes. By the end of this guide, you’ll be equipped with the knowledge and confidence to write any number in words with ease and accuracy.
Understanding the Basics
Writing numbers in words in English requires understanding a few basic principles. These guidelines are crucial for conveying numbers accurately in written form. Here’s an in-depth exploration of these essential guidelines:
Numbers Less Than Ten
Start by mastering the names for the numbers from zero to nine: zero, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. They form the foundation for expressing any number in words.
To represent numbers less than ten, simply write the corresponding names. For example:
| Number | Word |
|---|---|
| 0 | zero |
| 1 | one |
| 2 | two |
| 3 | three |
| 4 | four |
| 5 | five |
| 6 | six |
| 7 | seven |
| 8 | eight |
| 9 | nine |
Converting Small Numbers
When converting small numbers (0-9) to words, the following rules apply:
- 0: zero
- 1: one
- 2: two
- 3: three
- 4: four
- 5: five
- 6: six
- 7: seven
- 8: eight
- 9: nine
Special Note for the Number 2
The number 2 has a unique spelling rule when used in compound numbers. Specifically, when 2 is used as part of a number greater than or equal to 10, it is spelled as “twenty” rather than “two.” This applies to all numbers in the tens place (e.g., 20, 32, 45) except for 200. In numbers greater than 100, 2 is spelled as “two” again (e.g., 200, 250, 321).
| Number | Word Form |
|---|---|
| 2 | two |
| 12 | twelve |
| 20 | twenty |
| 200 | two hundred |
| 321 | three hundred twenty-one |
Handling Hundreds and Thousands
Numbers between 100 and 999 are expressed as follows:
- The hundreds digit is expressed first, followed by the word “hundred.”
- If the tens and units digits are both non-zero, they are expressed using the rules for tens and units.
- If either the tens or units digit is zero, it is omitted.
For example:
- 100: one hundred
- 234: two hundred thirty-four
- 400: four hundred
- 605: six hundred five
- 999: nine hundred ninety-nine
Numbers between 1,000 and 999,999 are expressed in a similar manner:
Thousands Expression 1,000 one thousand 2,500 two thousand five hundred 10,000 ten thousand 35,789 thirty-five thousand seven hundred eighty-nine 99,999 ninety-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine Note that the word “and” is used to separate the thousands, hundreds, and tens/units digits.
Dealing with Millions and Billions
When dealing with larger numbers such as millions and billions, it’s important to understand the following:
- Millions: A million is a thousand thousands, or 1,000,000. It can be written as “one million” or “1 million.”
- Billions: A billion is a thousand millions, or 1,000,000,000. It can be written as “one billion” or “1 billion.”
Writing Millions and Billions in Words
To write millions and billions in words, follow these steps:
- Separate the number into groups of three digits, starting from the rightmost group.
- For each group of three digits, write the number in words.
- Add the appropriate unit (million or billion) to the end of the number.
Example: Writing 4,567,890 in Words
Number Group Number in Words 4,567 Four thousand five hundred sixty-seven 890 Eight hundred ninety Four million five hundred sixty-seven thousand eight hundred ninety Writing Currency Amounts
When writing currency amounts in words, it is important to follow the following rules:
- The currency symbol should be placed before the amount, except for US dollars, which are written without a symbol.
- The amount should be written in words, with the exception of the cents, which should be written in numerals.
- The word “and” should be used to separate the dollars from the cents.
For example, the following are all correct ways to write the amount $123.45 in words:
- One hundred twenty-three dollars and forty-five cents
- $123.45
- One hundred twenty-three dollars 45/100
When writing large currency amounts, it is often helpful to use commas to separate the thousands, millions, and billions. For example, the following is the correct way to write the amount $1,234,567.89 in words:
One million, two hundred thirty-four thousand, five hundred sixty-seven dollars and eighty-nine cents
Special Cases
There are a few special cases to keep in mind when writing currency amounts in words.
- Amounts less than one dollar: Amounts less than one dollar should be written in cents only. For example, the amount $0.25 would be written as “twenty-five cents”.
- Amounts greater than one billion: Amounts greater than one billion should be written in billions, millions, and thousands. For example, the amount $1,234,567,890.12 would be written as “one billion, two hundred thirty-four million, five hundred sixty-seven thousand, eight hundred ninety dollars and twelve cents”.
Special Rules for Certain Numbers
Six
The number six holds a unique place in English language. It is the only one-syllable cardinal number. This has led to several interesting usage quirks:
- “Half a dozen” is the traditional way to express six, especially in informal contexts. It is also used to indicate a set or group of six items, as in “I have half a dozen eggs.”
- “Six of one, half a dozen of the other” is a proverb that means two things are essentially the same or equivalent. It is often used to dismiss the importance of a difference or choice.
- “Sixes and sevens” is an idiom that means in a state of disarray or confusion. It is thought to originate from the dice game craps, where rolling a six or a seven is considered bad luck.
Number Word 6 Six 12 Twelve 16 Sixteen Avoiding Ambiguity in Numbers
Ambiguity can arise when writing numbers in words, especially for large or complex numbers. Here are some tips to avoid ambiguity:
Numbers with Hyphens
For numbers between 21 and 99 written with hyphens, the tens digit should be written first, followed by the ones digit. For example, “twenty-one,” “sixty-seven.”
Numbers with “And”
For numbers with three or more digits, use “and” to separate the hundreds, tens, and ones. For example, “one hundred and one,” “two thousand and five.”
Special Case: “Seven”
For the number “seven,” there are two accepted spellings when written as a word: “seven” and “seventy.” To avoid ambiguity, consider the following:
Number Spelling 7 Seven 17 Seventeen 70 Seventy 71 Seventy-one 700 Seven hundred 1,700 One thousand, seven hundred 7,000 Seven thousand 70,000 Seventy thousand 700,000 Seven hundred thousand 1,700,000 One million, seven hundred thousand As a general rule, use “seven” for numbers below 100 and “seventy” for numbers above 100. However, there are exceptions, such as “seventeen” and “seven hundred.”
Using Punctuation Correctly
In English, numbers expressed in words typically follow the same grammatical rules as those written in numerals. Here are some specific guidelines for using punctuation when expressing numbers in words:
8. Commas in Multi-Digit Numbers
When expressing numbers with three or more digits in words, commas are used to separate the thousands, millions, billions, and so on. For example:
Number Written in Words 152,345 One hundred fifty-two thousand, three hundred forty-five 7,890,123 Seven million, eight hundred ninety thousand, one hundred twenty-three 1,234,567,890 One billion, two hundred thirty-four million, five hundred sixty-seven thousand, eight hundred ninety Note that the comma is placed before the “and” that separates the thousands, millions, billions, etc. Additionally, the last three digits (hundreds) are not separated by a comma.
Tips for Clarity and Conciseness
9. Nine and Its Compounds
- Nine: Use "nine" for numbers 9-99.
- Nineteen: For numbers 10-19, use "teen" at the end of the number.
- Ninety: For numbers 100-999, use "ty" at the end of the number.
- Nine Hundred: For numbers 1,000-999,999, use "hundred" followed by "and" and the number.
- Nine Thousand: For numbers 10,000-99,999, use "thousand" followed by "and" and the number.
- Nine Hundred Thousand: For numbers 100,000-999,999, use "hundred thousand" followed by "and" and the number.
- Nine Million: For numbers 1,000,000-999,999,999, use "million" followed by "and" and the number.
Here is a table summarizing the usage of “nine” and its compounds:
Number Word 9 nine 10 ten 11 eleven 12 twelve 13 thirteen 14 fourteen 15 fifteen 16 sixteen 17 seventeen 18 eighteen 19 nineteen 20 twenty 30 thirty 40 forty 50 fifty 60 sixty 70 seventy 80 eighty 90 ninety 100 one 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 1,000 one thousand 2,000 two thousand 100,000 one hundred thousand 1,000,000 one million Practical Applications in Writing
Writing Numbers 10 to 99
The numbers 10 to 19 are written as one word, such as “ten,” “eleven,” or “nineteen.” The numbers 20 to 99 are written as two words, with the first word representing the tens place and the second word representing the ones place. For example, “twenty-one” is written as “21,” and “ninety-nine” is written as “99.”
Number Word 10 Ten 11 Eleven 12 Twelve 13 Thirteen 14 Fourteen 15 Fifteen 16 Sixteen 17 Seventeen 18 Eighteen 19 Nineteen 20 Twenty 30 Thirty 40 Forty 50 Fifty 60 Sixty 70 Seventy 80 Eighty 90 Ninety When writing numbers with decimals, the decimal point is represented by a period (.). For example, “one point five” is written as “1.5.”
How To Write Numbers In Words
Writing numbers in words can be a tricky task, especially for large numbers. There are a few general rules to follow, but there are also exceptions to these rules. Here are some tips on how to write numbers in words correctly:
1. Write out numbers one through nine.
2. For numbers 10-19, use the words “ten,” “eleven,” “twelve,” “thirteen,” “fourteen,” “fifteen,” “sixteen,” “seventeen,” “eighteen,” and “nineteen.”
3. For numbers 20-99, use the tens place value followed by a hyphen and the ones place value. For example, 21 is written as “twenty-one.”
4. For numbers 100-999, use the hundreds place value followed by “hundred” and a hyphen. Then, write the tens and ones place values as usual. For example, 123 is written as “one hundred twenty-three.”
5. For numbers 1,000 and up, use the same rules as for numbers 100-999, but add commas to separate the thousands, millions, billions, and so on. For example, 1,234,567 is written as “one million, two hundred thirty-four thousand, five hundred sixty-seven.”
Here are some examples of how to write numbers in words:
- 5 is written as “five”
- 12 is written as “twelve”
- 23 is written as “twenty-three”
- 100 is written as “one hundred”
- 200 is written as “two hundred”
- 1,000 is written as “one thousand”
- 2,000 is written as “two thousand”
- 1,234,567 is written as “one million, two hundred thirty-four thousand, five hundred sixty-seven”
People Also Ask
How do you write 100 in words?
100 is written as “one hundred”.
How do you write 1,000 in words?
1,000 is written as “one thousand”.
How do you write 1,000,000 in words?
1,000,000 is written as “one million”.
