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English Numbers

English numbers are built from small parts: tens + ones with a hyphen (forty-three), then hundreds and thousands in front (two thousand three hundred forty-five). Use them for prices, dates, times and phone numbers.

  • CEFR A1
  • 10-question quiz
  • 2 exercises
-teen and -ty
  1. three→thirteen13
  2. three→thirty30
  3. four→fourteen14
  4. four→forty40 (no u)
  5. eight→eighteen18
  6. eight→eighty80
CORE Languages English Numbers
CORE Languages English Numbers
CORE Languages English Numbers

To form a number between 20 and 99, we use the same principle: Base number (tens) + digit (ones).
23 = twenty-three, 33 = thirty-three, 43 = forty-three, etc.

CORE Languages English Numbers

To form a number with 100, we say “One hundred” + and + base number + digit, but in US English the “and” is usually omitted (one hundred twenty-three), and it is also omitted when counting.
123 = One hundred and twenty-three.
234 = Two hundred and thirty-four
345 = Three hundred and forty-five

To form a number with thousand, we say “thousands + hundreds + (and) + tens and ones”.
1234 = One thousand two hundred and thirty-four.
2345 = Two thousand three hundred and forty-five.

Key vocabulary

WordMeaningExample
-teenending for numbers 13 to 19; stress the end: thir-TEENThe meeting is on the thirteenth floor.
-tyending for tens (20, 30, 40...); stress the start: THIR-tyThe train leaves in thirty minutes.
hyphen (-)the short line in numbers from 21 to 99My office is room forty-two.
hundred100; no -s after a numberThe ticket costs two hundred dollars.
thousand1,000; no -s after a numberOur company has three thousand employees.
million1,000,000The city has about one million people.
and (in numbers)used after hundred in British English; often left out in American EnglishWe sold one hundred (and) twenty-five copies.
comma (,)separates thousands when you write numbersThe price is $1,250.

Practice: English Numbers

Work through the exercises, then test yourself with the quiz. Learn from your mistakes and try again as often as you like.

Exercises

Write the number in words

Write each number in words. Use a hyphen for numbers from 21 to 99.

  1. 23

    twenty + three

    Show answer

    twenty-three

  2. 15

    a -teen number

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    fifteen

  3. 40

    no u

    Show answer

    forty

  4. 99

    ninety + nine

    Show answer

    ninety-nine

  5. 123

    one hundred + 23

    Show answer

    one hundred (and) twenty-three

  6. 345

    three hundred + 45

    Show answer

    three hundred (and) forty-five

  7. 1,234

    one thousand + 234

    Show answer

    one thousand two hundred (and) thirty-four

  8. 2,500

    two thousand + 500

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    two thousand five hundred

Write the digits

Write each number in digits.

  1. sixty-two

    Show answer

    62

  2. seventeen

    Show answer

    17

  3. seventy

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    70

  4. four hundred and eight

    Show answer

    408

  5. nine thousand and fifty

    Show answer

    9,050

  6. three million

    Show answer

    3,000,000

Quiz: 10 questions

1. Write out the following number: 18.
2. Which number is this: seventy-three?
3. John has five oranges. Julie has three. Who has more?
4. Which number is lowest: twenty-one, twelve, two, forty-two?
5. Michael has 17 paperclips. Amy has thirteen paperclips. Who has more paperclips?
6. Write the following number: 83.
7. Which number is one thousand seven hundred and three?
8. Write out the following number: 1,000,000.
9. Write out the following number: 596.
10. What is the following number: 424?

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