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Numbers in English: from 0 to a million

How not to mix up thirteen and thirty, where the hyphen goes and why the British say and in numbers. Tables with audio, an “any number in words” converter and exercises to understand numbers by ear.

  • Any number in words
  • Audio
  • 13 or 30 by ear
  • 3 exercises
  • No sign-up
To the tablesPractice

Any number in words

Type a number in digits to see how it’s written and hear how it sounds. Up to 999,999,999.

Type a number and its spelling will appear here.

Numbers from 0 to 20

Up to 12 every number is its own word; 13 to 19 end in -teen: thirteen, fourteen, fifteen.

Speed

Tens

Tens end in -ty: twenty, thirty, forty (no u!), fifty.

Numbers people mix up

-teen and -ty pairs and numbers with and. Tap to listen and hear the difference in stress.

Hundreds, thousands, millions

Hundred, thousand, million take no -s after a number: two hundred, five thousand.

Rules worth knowing

English numbers are simple — you just need to know a few traps.

  • 21 = twenty-one

    Compound numbers from 21 to 99 take a hyphen: twenty-one, forty-five, ninety-nine.

  • 13 ≠ 30

    -teen is stressed at the end: thir-TEEN [ˌθɜːˈtiːn]. -ty is stressed at the start: THIR-ty [ˈθɜːti]. Hear a long “-teen” at the end? It’s 13–19.

  • 40 = forty

    Four, fourteen — but forty, without u. The most common spelling mistake with numbers.

  • 105 = one hundred and five

    British English puts and after hundred: one hundred and five. Americans often say one hundred five.

  • 2000 = two thousand

    Hundred, thousand and million take no -s after a number: two hundred, three million. But: hundreds of people.

  • 1,000,000

    English separates thousands with a comma and decimals with a point: 1,500 is one thousand five hundred, 1.5 is one point five.

  • 0 = zero / oh / nil

    Zero in maths, oh (like the letter O) in phone numbers, nil in football scores.

Practice: test yourself

10 numbers per round. Start with 0–20, then move to bigger ones — numbers are hardest to catch by ear.

Choose an exercise

How to understand numbers by ear

  • Learn 0–20 and the tens by heart — everything else is built from them.
  • Practise 13–30, 14–40, 15–50 in “Hear the number” — even B1 learners mix them up.
  • Read prices and phone numbers aloud: “oh-six-seven, double five…” — the British say double for two identical digits.
  • Ask yourself number questions every day — how much was the coffee, what time is it — and answer in English.

FAQ

Didn’t find your answer? Send us a request — we’ll tell you everything.

How do I tell thirteen from thirty by ear?

By stress and length: thirTEEN is stressed at the end with a long “ee”, THIRty at the start with a short ending. In fast speech context helps — and with money or times it’s fine to check: “One three or three zero?”

When do English numbers need and?

In British English, after hundred and before the last part under 100: one hundred and twenty, two thousand and five. Americans often leave it out: one hundred twenty. Both are understood.

How do you say years in English?

In pairs: 1995 is nineteen ninety-five, 2026 is twenty twenty-six. For 2000–2009 people say two thousand and five (or twenty oh-five).

How are ordinal numbers formed?

Usually with -th: fourth, sixth, tenth. Learn the exceptions: first, second, third, fifth, twelfth, twentieth. You need them for dates: the first of May.

What’s next

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