ENGLISH NUMBERS
Complete Study Guide
From 0 to 1,000,000,000
CONTENTS
Unit 1 — Numbers 0 to 10
Unit 2 — Tens: 10 to 90
Unit 3 — Hundreds: 100 to 900
Unit 4 — Compound Numbers (11–99)
Unit 5 — Hundreds with Compound Numbers
Unit 6 — Thousands: 1,000 to 900,000
Unit 7 — Millions & Billions
Unit 8 — Key Grammar Rules
Unit 9 — Practice Exercises
English Numbers — Complete Study Guide Page
UNIT 1 — NUMBERS 0 TO 10: THE FOUNDATION
These are the most important numbers in English. Everything else is built upon them.
Memorize these ten words perfectly — they are the alphabet of numbers.
Number Word in English Notes / Example
0 Zero Temperature: zero degrees / zero points
1 One One coffee, please. / One step at a time.
2 Two Two tickets / Table for two
3 Three Three days / Three strikes
4 Four Four seasons / Four wheels
5 Five Five fingers / High five!
6 Six Six months / Six feet apart
7 Seven Seven days in a week / Lucky seven
8 Eight Eight hours of sleep / Figure eight
9 Nine Nine lives / Cloud nine
10 Ten Ten percent / Top ten
Special Note: Zero vs. Oh vs. Nought
Usage Word Example
Math & science: 'The temperature is zero
ZERO zero degrees.'
OH oh Phone numbers / room numbers: 'Call 555-oh-12'
NOUGHT nought British English: 'nought point five' (0.5)
NIL nil Sports scores: 'The score is three-nil'
LOVE love Tennis only: 'Fifteen-love'
★ MEMORY TIP
▶ Study 0–10 as a group first. Say them aloud in order, then backwards.
▶ Associate each number with something visual: 1 = a candle, 2 = a swan, 8 = glasses...
▶ These 11 words are the only truly unique words for numbers in English.
▶ All other numbers (except 11, 12, and the -teens) are combinations of these!
English Numbers — Complete Study Guide Page
UNIT 2 — THE TENS: 10 TO 90
There are only 9 'tens' words to memorize. Notice the pattern: most of them end in -TY
(from an old English word meaning 'groups of ten'). Pay special attention to the irregular
ones: ten, twelve, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty.
Number Word in English Notes / Example
10 Ten Unique word — does NOT end in -ty
20 Twenty Not 'twoty' — drops the 'w' sound slightly
30 Thirty Not 'threety' — root changes to 'thir'
★ No 'u'! Not 'fourty' — this is a very common
40 Forty mistake!
50 Fifty Root changes: four → fif
60 Sixty Regular: six + ty
70 Seventy Regular: seven + ty
80 Eighty Root changes slightly: eight → eigh + ty
90 Ninety Root changes: nine → nine + ty (drop the 'e')
Pattern Analysis
★ SPELLING RULES FOR THE TENS
▶ 20 = twenty (NOT 'twoty') — irregular
▶ 30 = thirty (NOT 'threety') — root changes to 'thir-'
▶ 40 = forty (NOT 'fourty') — drop the 'u' from 'four'
▶ 50 = fifty (NOT 'fivety') — root changes to 'fif-'
▶ 60 = sixty ✓ six + ty — regular
▶ 70 = seventy ✓ seven + ty — regular
▶ 80 = eighty ✓ eight + ty — regular
▶ 90 = ninety ✓ nine + ty — drop the 'e' from 'nine'
Pronunciation Guide
Number Pronunciation
20 TWEN-tee (stress on first syllable)
30 THER-tee
English Numbers — Complete Study Guide Page
Number Pronunciation
40 FOR-tee
50 FIF-tee
60 SIK-stee
70 SEV-en-tee
80 AY-tee
90 NY-nee
English Numbers — Complete Study Guide Page
UNIT 3 — THE HUNDREDS: 100 TO 900
Hundreds are very simple in English: you just say the digit (1–9) followed by the word
'HUNDRED'. That's the complete rule! There are no irregular hundreds.
★ THE HUNDREDS FORMULA
▶ [digit from 1–9] + HUNDRED
Example: 3 + HUNDRED = THREE HUNDRED
Example: 7 + HUNDRED = SEVEN HUNDRED
Number Word in English Notes / Example
100 One hundred A hundred dollars / One hundred percent
200 Two hundred Two hundred miles from here
300 Three hundred Three hundred years ago
400 Four hundred Four hundred students in the school
500 Five hundred Five hundred grams of flour
600 Six hundred Six hundred meters above sea level
700 Seven hundred Seven hundred pages in the book
800 Eight hundred Eight hundred years of history
900 Nine hundred Nine hundred dollars — almost a thousand!
Important: 'A hundred' vs. 'One hundred'
Expression Usage
A hundred More informal / conversational use
One hundred More formal / precise / mathematical
A thousand Informal: 'It costs a thousand dollars'
One thousand Formal: 'The distance is one thousand meters'
✦ In American English, 'one hundred' and 'a hundred' are both completely correct and
interchangeable in most contexts.
✦ NEVER say 'ten hundreds' for 1,000. In English, once you reach 1,000, you use 'thousand'.
English Numbers — Complete Study Guide Page
UNIT 4 — COMPOUND NUMBERS: 11 TO 99
Numbers from 11 to 19 have unique names (the '-teens'). Numbers from 21–99 follow a
simple formula: tens + hyphen + ones. This unit shows you how to build any two-digit
number.
The Irregular Teens: 11 to 19
These must be memorized individually — they do not follow a pattern:
Number Word in English Notes / Example
11 Eleven Unique word — not 'oneteen'
12 Twelve Unique word — not 'twoteen'
13 Thirteen thir- + teen (similar to 'thirty')
14 Fourteen four + teen
15 Fifteen fif- + teen (similar to 'fifty')
16 Sixteen six + teen
17 Seventeen seven + teen
18 Eighteen eigh- + teen
19 Nineteen nine + teen
The Formula for 21–99
★ COMPOUND NUMBER FORMULA (21 to 99)
▶ [tens word] + HYPHEN ( - ) + [ones word]
21 = twenty + - + one = twenty-one
35 = thirty + - + five = thirty-five
64 = sixty + - + four = sixty-four
99 = ninety + - + nine = ninety-nine
▶ The hyphen is REQUIRED in formal writing (twenty-one, not 'twenty one')
Sample Compound Numbers
English Numbers — Complete Study Guide Page
Number Word in English
21 Twenty-one
English Numbers — Complete Study Guide Page
Number Word in English
25 Twenty-five
31 Thirty-one
37 Thirty-seven
42 Forty-two
48 Forty-eight
53 Fifty-three
56 Fifty-six
61 Sixty-one
67 Sixty-seven
72 Seventy-two
79 Seventy-nine
83 Eighty-three
86 Eighty-six
91 Ninety-one
98 Ninety-eight
✦ Multiples of ten (20, 30, 40...) are never hyphenated: just 'twenty', 'thirty', etc.
✦ Only compound numbers (21–29, 31–39, etc.) use the hyphen.
English Numbers — Complete Study Guide Page
UNIT 5 — HUNDREDS WITH COMPOUND NUMBERS
Now you can combine everything you've learned to express any number from 101 to 999.
The key connector word is 'AND' (British) or you can omit it (American). Both are correct.
★ FULL FORMULA FOR 101–999
▶ [hundreds] + AND + [tens/ones] (British English)
▶ [hundreds] + [tens/ones] (American English — 'and' is optional)
115 = one hundred and fifteen (British)
115 = one hundred fifteen (American)
342 = three hundred and forty-two
509 = five hundred and nine
780 = seven hundred and eighty
999 = nine hundred and ninety-nine
Extended Examples: 101 to 999
Number Word in English Notes / Example
101 One hundred and one One hundred and one dalmatians
150 One hundred and fifty One hundred and fifty meters
200 Two hundred No 'and' needed when tens/ones = 0
Two hundred and
215 Two hundred fifteen (American)
fifteen
Three hundred and
342 The formula: hundreds + and + compound
forty-two
400 Four hundred Exact hundreds need no 'and'
Four hundred and
456 Three separate parts joined
fifty-six
Five hundred and
509 Note: only 'nine', not 'oh nine'
nine
Seven hundred and
712 712 uses the irregular 'twelve'
twelve
Eight hundred and
850 Eight hundred fifty (American)
fifty
Nine hundred and
999 Maximum 3-digit number
ninety-nine
English Numbers — Complete Study Guide Page
✦ When the number ends in an exact ten (200, 340, 680), you still say: 'three hundred and
forty', 'six hundred and eighty'.
✦ When the number ends in 00 (200, 500, 700), just say the digit + 'hundred'. No 'and'.
English Numbers — Complete Study Guide Page
UNIT 6 — THOUSANDS: 1,000 TO 900,000
Thousands work the same way as hundreds: [number] + THOUSAND. The number before
'thousand' can be any number from 1 to 999. After 'thousand', continue with hundreds,
tens, and ones as needed.
★ THE THOUSANDS FORMULA
▶ [1–999] + THOUSAND + [0–999 (optional)]
1,000 = one thousand
5,000 = five thousand
25,000 = twenty-five thousand
100,000 = one hundred thousand
500,000 = five hundred thousand
999,000 = nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand
Round Thousands
Number Word in English
1,000 One thousand
2,000 Two thousand
5,000 Five thousand
10,000 Ten thousand
15,000 Fifteen thousand
20,000 Twenty thousand
50,000 Fifty thousand
100,000 One hundred thousand
200,000 Two hundred thousand
500,000 Five hundred thousand
900,000 Nine hundred thousand
Thousands with Hundreds, Tens & Ones
Number Word in English Notes / Example
1,001 One thousand and one Thousand + and + ones
English Numbers — Complete Study Guide Page
Number Word in English Notes / Example
One thousand, one
1,100 Thousand + hundreds
hundred
One thousand, two
1,250 All three parts
hundred and fifty
Three thousand, five
3,500 Thousands + hundreds
hundred
Seven thousand, eight
7,842 Full compound
hundred and forty-two
12,000 Twelve thousand Note: 'twelve' (irregular)
Twenty-five thousand,
25,300 Compound + hundreds
three hundred
Fifty thousand and
50,050 Thousands + ones (with 'and')
fifty
One hundred
100,000 No comma needed in speech
thousand
Three hundred and
365,000 Complex number before thousand
sixty-five thousand
Seven hundred and
750,500 fifty thousand, five Full format
hundred
Nine hundred and
ninety-nine thousand,
999,999 Maximum 6-digit
nine hundred and
ninety-nine
Punctuation & Formatting Rules
Rule Example / Note
Comma every 3
1,000 / 10,000 / 100,000 / 1,000,000
digits
Period in some
Europe uses period: 1.000 — but this is NOT standard English
countries
Use commas after thousands in long numbers: 'seven thousand,
In words
four hundred'
'And' usage Place 'and' before the last element if it is under 100
English Numbers — Complete Study Guide Page
UNIT 7 — MILLIONS, BILLIONS & BEYOND
Large numbers follow the exact same pattern as thousands. The key difference: English
uses the SHORT SCALE system, where a billion = 1,000 millions (not the European long
scale).
★ THE BIG NUMBERS SYSTEM
▶ 1,000 = One thousand
▶ 1,000,000 = One million (1 followed by 6 zeros)
▶ 1,000,000,000 = One billion (1 followed by 9 zeros)
▶ 1,000,000,000,000 = One trillion (1 followed by 12 zeros)
▶ FORMULA: [number] + MILLION / BILLION / TRILLION + [remainder]
Millions: 1,000,000 to 999,000,000
Number Word in English Notes / Example
1,000,000 One million 1 followed by 6 zeros
Two million, five
2,500,000 Millions + thousands
hundred thousand
5,000,000 Five million Round millions
10,000,000 Ten million Ten million
25,000,000 Twenty-five million Compound + million
100,000,000 One hundred million Hundred million
500,000,000 Five hundred million Five hundred million
Seven hundred and
750,000,000 Complex + million
fifty million
Nine hundred and
999,000,000 Near billion
ninety-nine million
Billions: 1,000,000,000
Number Word in English Notes / Example
1,000,000,000 One billion US / UK modern usage
2,000,000,000 Two billion Two billion
English Numbers — Complete Study Guide Page
Number Word in English Notes / Example
Seven point eight
7,800,000,000 Approximate (common in media)
billion
8,000,000,000 Eight billion World population ~2023
Short Scale vs. Long Scale — Important Difference!
Language /
How they count
System
English (US/UK)
1,000,000,000 = ONE BILLION
— SHORT SCALE
Spanish — LONG
1,000,000,000 = mil millones (not 'un billón')
SCALE
'Un billón' in
= 1,000,000,000,000 (one TRILLION in English)
Spanish
✦ ⚠ WARNING: 'Un billón' in Spanish = 1 trillion in English. Do not confuse these when
translating financial or scientific texts!
Using Approximate Numbers (Very Common in English)
Number Expression Context
About a thousand /
~1,000 Conversational
Roughly a thousand
About three and a half
~3,500,000 Media / news style
million
~8,000,000,00 Nearly eight billion /
Population figures
0 Almost eight billion
Two to three
2,000–3,000 Ranges
thousand
One million
1M Business / finance
(abbreviated)
One billion
1B or 1BN Business / finance
(abbreviated)
English Numbers — Complete Study Guide Page
UNIT 8 — KEY GRAMMAR & USAGE RULES
Understanding these rules will prevent the most common errors English learners make
with numbers.
Rule 1: Numbers as Words vs. Digits
Rule Example
Spell out 1–9 in
There are five students. (not '5 students' in formal text)
writing
Use digits for 10+ The company has 35 employees.
Always digits for
June 13, 2026
dates
Always digits for
45 ÷ 9 = 5
math
Start of sentence
'Fifteen people attended.' (not '15 people...')
= word
Rule 2: Singular vs. Plural of 'Hundred', 'Thousand', 'Million'
Rule Example
After a specific
five hundred / two thousand / four million
number → NO 's'
When used alone
as a noun → ADD hundreds of people / thousands of stars / millions of dollars
's'
WRONG 'five hundreds of people' — ✗
RIGHT 'five hundred people' — ✓
★ SINGULAR vs. PLURAL RULE
▶ 'Three hundred dollars' → NO 's' on hundred (number is specific)
▶ 'Hundreds of dollars' → ADD 's' (approximate / indefinite amount)
▶ 'Two million people' → NO 's' on million
▶ 'Millions of people' → ADD 's' (vague large amount)
Rule 3: Ordinal Numbers (Position / Order)
English Numbers — Complete Study Guide Page
Number Word in English Notes / Example
1st First 1st place / the first day
2nd Second 2nd floor / second chance
3rd Third 3rd year / the third time
4th Fourth 4th quarter / fourth grade
5th Fifth 5th Avenue / fifth element
10th Tenth 10th anniversary
11th Eleventh The eleventh hour
12th Twelfth Twelfth Night
20th Twentieth The twentieth century
21st Twenty-first 21st birthday
100th Hundredth The hundredth customer wins a prize
Rule 4: Decimals & Fractions
Symbol How to say it
0.5 Zero point five / nought point five / a half
1.5 One point five / one and a half
3.14 Three point one four
1/2 A half / one half
1/3 A third / one third
1/4 A quarter / one quarter
3/4 Three quarters
2/3 Two thirds
Rule 5: Phone Numbers, Years & Special Cases
Context How to say it Note
Phone: 555- Five-five-five, one-
Say each digit individually
1234 two-three-four
Year: 1999 Nineteen ninety-nine Split into pairs for years
Two thousand / the
Year: 2000 Special case
year two thousand
English Numbers — Complete Study Guide Page
Context How to say it Note
Year: 2024 Twenty twenty-four Back to pairs after 2009
Five dollars and
$5.99 Currency
ninety-nine cents
50% Fifty percent Percent
Room one-oh-one /
Room 101 Room/code numbers
Room one-zero-one
English Numbers — Complete Study Guide Page
UNIT 9 — PRACTICE EXERCISES
Test your knowledge. Write the number in English, then check your answers below.
Exercise A — Write These Numbers in English
Number Your Answer
7 _______________________________
13 _______________________________
40 _______________________________
55 _______________________________
100 _______________________________
234 _______________________________
1,000 _______________________________
4,567 _______________________________
25,000 _______________________________
100,000 _______________________________
1,500,000 ______________________________
7,000,000,000 ___________________________
Exercise B — Write the Number (Digits)
English Digits
Ninety-three _______
Four hundred and
_______
twelve
Two thousand,
_______
eight hundred
Fifteen thousand
_______
and fifty
One hundred and
twenty-five _______
thousand
Three million, four
hundred _______
thousand
English Numbers — Complete Study Guide Page
English Digits
Sixty-two billion _______
Answer Key — Exercise A
Number Word in English
7 Seven
13 Thirteen
40 Forty
55 Fifty-five
100 One hundred
234 Two hundred and thirty-four
1,000 One thousand
4,567 Four thousand, five hundred and sixty-seven
25,000 Twenty-five thousand
100,000 One hundred thousand
1,500,000 One million, five hundred thousand
7,000,000,000 Seven billion
Answer Key — Exercise B
Number Word in English
Ninety-three 93
Four hundred and
412
twelve
Two thousand,
2,800
eight hundred
Fifteen thousand
15,050
and fifty
One hundred and
twenty-five 125,000
thousand
Three million, four
hundred 3,400,000
thousand
English Numbers — Complete Study Guide Page
Number Word in English
Sixty-two billion 62,000,000,000
★ QUICK REFERENCE CHEAT SHEET
▶ 0–10: Unique words (memorize individually)
▶ 11–12: Eleven, Twelve (irregular)
▶ 13–19: [root] + teen (thirteen, fourteen... nineteen)
▶ 20–90: [root] + ty (twenty, thirty, forty... ninety)
▶ 21–99: [tens]-[ones] (twenty-one, forty-five, ninety-nine)
▶ 100–999: [digit] hundred [and] [0–99]
▶ 1,000+: [1–999] thousand [, hundreds] [and tens/ones]
▶ 1,000,000+: [1–999] million [, thousands] [, hundreds] [and tens/ones]
▶ 1,000,000,000+: [number] billion
English Numbers — Complete Study Guide Page