Master English Numbers and Use Them Confidently

The English number system is considered straightforward, yet it has its nuances. This comprehensive guide covers structure, rules, and the subtle differences between British and American English. Perfect for learning and reference.

How English Numbers Are Structured

The English number system is very logically structured, but there are some important nuances you should know about.

1-10

Basic numbers: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten

Fundamental numbers that must be memorized.

11-12

Irregular forms: eleven, twelve

These come from Old English and don't follow the systematic pattern of other numbers. They must be memorized.

13-19

Formed with "-teen": thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen

Some numbers undergo slight changes:

three → thirteen, five → fifteen, eight → eighteen

20-99

Tens + basic number: twenty-one, thirty-four, sixty-eight

Combination of tens + basic number with hyphen.

100

One hundred: one hundred

from 101

Regional differences: one hundred and one 🇬🇧, one hundred one 🇺🇸

In British English, an additional "and" is often inserted.

English Numbers from 1 to 100

All English numbers from 1 to 100 in overview. Perfect for systematic learning and quick reference.

one

two

three

four

five

six

seven

eight

nine

ten

eleven

twelve

thirteen

fourteen

fifteen

sixteen

seventeen

eighteen

nineteen

twenty

twenty-one

twenty-two

twenty-three

twenty-four

twenty-five

twenty-six

twenty-seven

twenty-eight

twenty-nine

thirty

thirty-one

thirty-two

thirty-three

thirty-four

thirty-five

thirty-six

thirty-seven

thirty-eight

thirty-nine

forty

forty-one

forty-two

forty-three

forty-four

forty-five

forty-six

forty-seven

forty-eight

forty-nine

fifty

Test Your English Number Skills

Can you match these numbers correctly? How confident are you with English numbers from 1-100?

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Hundreds, Thousands and Large Numbers

English numbers are grouped in threes – using commas for thousands separators and periods for decimals. Here are the key numbers and their formation:

100

one hundred

200-900

two hundred, three hundred, four hundred, five hundred, six hundred, seven hundred, eight hundred, nine hundred

1,000

one thousand

Written as: 1,000.00 (English format with comma for thousands, period for decimals)

1,000,000

one million

1,000,000,000

one billion

Note: American "billion" = 1,000,000,000. British historically used "milliard" for this, but now follows American usage.

1,000,000,000,000

one trillion

Note 1 trillion

Common Pitfalls with English Numbers

Hearing or quickly pronouncing numbers can be challenging. These cases often lead to confusion:

-teen vs. -ty (e.g. 13/30):
The most common mistake: thirteen (13) vs. thirty (30). The -teen ending is pronounced long and stressed, while -ty sounds short and soft.
fourteen / forty, fifteen / fifty – sound very similar
→ Pay attention to clear pronunciation!
Pronunciation of "th":
Often tricky for non-native speakers. Tip: Place tongue tip gently between teeth and blow air through. As in three, thirteen, or thousand.
"Zero" has several variants:
zero (neutral)
oh (e.g. phone number: five-oh-nine)
nought (UK, in mathematics, not for phone numbers)

Understanding and Using Numbers in Daily Life

In spoken English, numbers are often pronounced quickly – especially with:

Time:
a quarter past two, ten to five, half past eight
Money amounts:
four ninety-nine = $4.99
a buck = 1 dollar
a dime = 10 cents
a mil = 1 million
quid = 1 pound (British): That'll be 10 quid.
p = penny/pence (British): It costs 99p.
Years:
1984 → nineteen eighty-four (in pairs)
2005 → two thousand five
2024 → twenty twenty-four
Quantities:
a couple hundred, a thousand or so, ten grand ($10,000)
Basic arithmetic:
2 + 2 = 4 → two plus two is four
5 - 3 = 2 → five minus three equals two
4 × 2 = 8 → four times two is eight
10 ÷ 5 = 2 → ten divided by five is two
Fractions and decimals:
½ → one half
¼ → one quarter / a quarter
0.5 → zero point five (or: nought point five 🇬🇧)
3.14 → three point one four

Distinctive Characteristics of English Numbers

English has certain linguistic conventions and quirks when dealing with numbers – in writing, pronunciation, and expression. Here's an overview of these distinctive characteristics:

"And" in British English:
In British English, an additional and is often inserted for numbers from 101:
one hundred and twenty-three (UK)
In the US it's usually: one hundred twenty-three (without and)
Number formatting with periods and commas:
In English, thousands are separated with commas, decimals with periods:
1,000.50 = one thousand point five zero (German format: 1.000,50)
No periods with ordinal numbers:
1st, 2nd, 3rd → without period (not 1st. etc.)
Lowercase number words:
Number words are written in lowercase in English – except at the beginning of sentences.
Numbers in colloquial speech:
In everyday speech, numbers are often shortened:
a couple hundred, five-oh-five (505), ten grand ($10,000)

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