Saying large numbers in English

We use different words to describe numbers depending on how many digits (numbers) they contain. We can also refer to the number of digits for simple generalisations. For example, 10,000 is five digits, so we refer to it as in the tens of thousands, but we may also call it a five figure number.

Here are some of the ways we can describe numbers. Individual numbers will be called by their name, for instance 4 is four, 13,425 is thirteen thousand four hundred and 25. But they can also be grouped or generalised in a variety of ways. For instance 4 is also a single figure (or digit) number, and 13,425 is in the tens of thousands.

In this article, you’ll learn all the major number-naming conventions.

This table shows how we can describe some groups of numbers as they increase in size:

Saying a large number

We say large numbers by listing the numbers in order of size, biggest first. When reading a single number, all the number labels should be singular, for example 10,400 is ten thousand four hundred and not ten thousands four hundreds.

We describe three digit numbers in hundreds, then tens. Generally, in British English we usually connect large numbers with double or single digit figures with and, but in American English and is not used. Note that hundreds, thousands and millions are not connected to each other with and, though.

For example:

• 345 is three hundred and forty-five (three hundred forty five in American).
• 59,321 is fifty nine thousand, three hundred and twenty one. (not fifty nine thousand and three hundred…)

You can then describe large numbers with a series of different figures, grouping numbers in hundreds and tens, starting with the biggest number. So we describe hundreds/tens of millions, then thousands, then hundreds:

• 1,345,612 = one million, three hundred and forty five thousand, six hundred and twelve
• 153,200 = one hundred and fifty three thousand, two hundred

Hundreds and thousands

Often it is easier to describe four figure numbers in hundreds instead of thousands. This is perfectly acceptable. For example, 1500 might be described as fifteen hundred, instead of one thousand five hundred (or one and a half thousand), because it is simpler to say.

Saying Thousands in Units of Ten (For Years and More)

One exception to the patterns above that you are likely to hear is when English-speakers say a number in thousands as a pair of two-digit numbers, for example 1912 as nineteen twelve.

This is mostly used when giving the name of years, and in fact is the more common way to do this – when pronouncing a year as a number, we usually break it into two. It also applies to years in the hundreds. Here are some examples:

• 1066 – ten sixty six
• 1254 – twelve fifty four
• 831- eight thirty one

Note, however, for the first century of a millennium we often go back to normal number conventions:

• 2005 – two thousand and five

There are some other exceptions where we break thousands down this way, usually when the number isn’t necessarily referring to a quantity, for example if it’s an assigned number to name something. For example, screen resolutions (1080px, though referring to a number of pixels, can be said as ten eighty, as it is part of a naming convention).

Alternative names for number groups

There are many informal alternative names for groups of numbers that can be used to simplify names. Beware you may not always be understood using these.