Saying Numbers in English –
Numbers may look clear on paper, but saying them out loud in English can be very challenging! One reason is that there are so many different kinds of numbers: prices, dates, phone numbers, and ‘list numbers’ such as “first,” “second” and “one hundred and fifty-sixth.”
English Learners often know the math, but hesitate because they are unsure of the special format rules. There’s good news, though: Once you learn the main patterns, long numbers become much easier and more predictable. Let’s take a look!
Introduction: Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers
There are two basic kinds of numbers you are likely to meet, and they each have their own rules in spoken English.
Put simply, Cardinal numbers are counting numbers; they’re for counting or measuring things: “one computer,” “six hundred books.”
Ordinal numbers, on the other hand, are for putting things ‘in order’ from first to last: “first choice,” “seventh position.”
This is often the first place learners feel confused, but the challenge gets easier when we break down the parts:
Shared Features of Cardinals and Ordinals
First, there are some features that are shared by both types of numbers. One of these features is grouping: numbers are organized into three-number (also called ‘three-digit’) groups. This makes things easier, because you can read the number three digits at a time, following the same basic pattern. The number below…
247
is read “two hundred forty-seven.” If this number becomes larger…
247,000
you simply add a word that goes with the correct three-number group; in this case, it’s “two hundred forty-seven thousand.”
Advanced Writing Tip: Note that any two digits between 21 and 99 should have a hyphen (-) placed between them: twenty-one, sixty-six, seventy-three. This is proper formatting, but it’s only a small mistake if you forget to add the hyphen.
Back to the main topic: When reading longer numbers, any grouping that is all zeroes (000) is not read out loud. But even adding one single number means we must read that grouping as well:
247,001 → two hundred forty-seven thousand and one
In the list below, the XXX gives the common groupings:
- XXX = hundred
XXX,000 = thousand
XXX,000,000 = million
XXX,000,000,000 = billion
Of course, numbers can go higher than this, but ‘billion’ is usually enough for daily life situations—unless you work for the U.S. government!
Let’s try reading a few large ordinal numbers:
- 2,010,000 → two million, ten thousand
45,000,200,000 → forty-five billion, two hundred thousand
66,025 → sixty-six thousand twenty-five
For cardinal numbers that are less than zero (technically these are called ‘negative integers’ rather than cardinal numbers), say the word “negative” (or “minus” for casual situations) in front of the number:
- -3 → negative three or minus three (casual)
- -450→ negative four hundred fifty or minus four fifty (casual)
Special Rules for Ordinal Numbers
The job of Ordinal numbers is to show the order or position of things. For example:
Examples:
21st → twenty-first
103rd → one hundred third
5,000th → five thousandth
The big difference between the two groups is that ordinal numbers add a special ending to the last number that you say. Often this special ending is –th, but not always. Some of the most common ordinal numbers have irregular forms, which means they don’t follow a specific rule.
Irregular forms (you must memorize these):
1 → first
2 → second
3 → third
5 → fifth
8 → eighth
9 → ninth
12 → twelfth
Most other numbers follow a regular pattern.
Regular pattern:
Add –th to the end of the number word:
4 → fourth
6 → sixth
7 → seventh
10 → tenth
13 → thirteenth
20 → twentieth
30 → thirtieth
Notice that in writing, words ending in -y change to -ie:
20 → twenty → twentieth
40 → forty → fortieth
For compound numbers (numbers with more than one word), only the last word becomes ordinal:
21 → twenty-first
45 → forty-fifth
103 → one hundred third
2,456 → two thousand four hundred fifty-sixth
We do not make every word ordinal — only the final part changes. The rest of the number is the same as the cardinal version.
Written form (numbers):
Ordinals are often written with endings:
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th
21st, 42nd, 103rd
These endings match the spoken form (first, second, third, fourth).
Giving Dollar Amounts
Talking about money is stressful because it often mixes numbers with real-life situations: paying for a purchase, giving a tip at a restaurant, or talking about finances. While dollar amounts follow the same general rules as cardinal numbers (given above), they also have some unique features, especially since we can have money amounts less than one dollar.
Rule 1: For formal dollar amounts or whole dollars, say dollars first, then cents (if there are any cents).
$5.00 → five dollars
- $5.23 → five dollars and twenty-three cents
For informal dollar amounts that contain cents, just read the words:
$3.75 → three dollars and seventy-five cents (formal) or three seventy-five (informal)
$12.50 → twelve dollars and fifty cents (formal) or twelve fifty (informal)
For informal amounts that have 1 to 9 cents, say ‘oh’ in front of the final number:
$2.05 → two dollars and five cents or two-oh-five (informal)
Large numbers follow the same basic rules:
- $2,500,000 → two million five hundred thousand dollars
$750,000,000 → seven hundred fifty million dollars
Some amounts have shorter casual forms:
$2,500 → two thousand five hundred (formal) or twenty-five hundred (casual)
$1,800 → one thousand eight hundred (formal) or eighteen hundred (casual)
This shortcut only works for exact hundreds (1,100–9,900). For 2,450, you cannot say:
2,450 ⊗ twenty-four fifty hundred
You must say:
two thousand four hundred fifty
Giving Phone Numbers
Phone numbers are tricky because they don’t follow normal counting rules. They can’t be read like one big number; that sounds unnatural and can confuse the listener. In addition, native speakers don’t always read phone numbers in the same rhythm, which makes them harder to catch by ear.
In English, the safest, clearest way to say a phone number is one digit at a time, not as large numbers. When doing this, the number 0 can be said as zero or oh.
For Example:
503-345-7619 → five zero (or oh) three, three four five, seven six one nine
Area Codes
The first three digits of phone numbers is called the area code. The area code tells you the general location of the number (for example, which city or region it comes from).
In our example (ESL Advantage’s phone number), 503 is the area code. In speaking, we usually add a little pause after the area code and again after the next three numbers. This makes the phone number easier to understand.
Casual Grouping of Digits
In natural speech, people often group the numbers inside phone numbers into pairs to make them easier to say and remember.
Our example phone number (503-345-7619) can be read several different ways, listed from most formal to most casual:
- five zero three, three four five, seven six one nine
- five oh three, three four five, seven six one nine
- five oh three, three four five, seventy-six nineteen
Giving Dates and Years
Dates and years often feel challenging because they mix numbers with special speaking rules. Learners may know the date perfectly but hesitate in speaking: Should I use a cardinal number (four) or ordinal number (fourth)? How do I break a long year into understandable parts? English also treats some years in special ways, which makes things more difficult.
Saying Full Dates
When we say dates, we usually use ordinal numbers for the day:
Examples:
March 14 → March fourteenth
- 3/14 → March fourteenth
July 1 → July first
December 25 → December twenty-fifth
In American English, the usual order is:
month + day + year
July 4, 1776 → July fourth, seventeen seventy-six
This order may take some getting used to if dates follow a day + month + year format in your first language!
Saying Years
Most years are said in two parts, not as one long number:
1999 → nineteen ninety-nine
1987 → nineteen eighty-seven
2010 → twenty ten
2025 → twenty twenty-five
In addition, some years have special patterns:
2000 → two thousand
2001 → two thousand one
2008 → two thousand eight
2011 → twenty eleven (more common than two thousand eleven)
For exact hundreds, end with the word ‘hundred’:
1900 → nineteen hundred
2100 → twenty-one hundred
Talking About Decades
A decade is a period of 10 years. In English, they are usually spoken as plural numbers:
the 1990s → the nineteen nineties
the 2000s → the two thousands
the 2010s → the twenty tens
the 2020s → the twenty twenties
Notice that we change -y to -ies in speech and writing:
ninety → nineties
twenty → twenties
Talking About Centuries
Centuries (periods of 100 years) use ordinal numbers, followed by the word ‘century.’ They’re specific, so place the word ‘the’ at the front. Also note that a century technically begins with a ‘1’ year and ends with a ‘o’ year (though many people ignore this rule):
- 101-200 → the second century
- 1201-1300 → the thirteenth century
1801-1900 → the eighteenth century
1901-2000 → the twentieth century
2001-2100 → the twenty-first century
Saying numbers in English clearly and correctly can be very challenging—and not just for English Language Learners! By following these rules and practicing often, you’ll become more and more confident in finding a clear method that fits your personal style.
For more practice with saying numbers and other daily life vocabulary, check out English for Everyone: Everyday English by Dorling Kindersley (available on Amazon).
For some additional resources, you may also enjoy these recommended Eight Fun TV Shows for Learning English
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