Expressing Numbers in English

Expressing numbers in English can be confusing to both students and those listening. Make sure you understand how to express numbers in spoken English by following these rules. Below you will find numbers written out in order to help  students learn the correct grouping in English. Generally speaking, numbers larger than nine should always be expressed by numbers in written English, while numbers under 10 should be written out: I have 15 clients in New York.He ate three cookies.She has 240 contacts on her mailing list. How to Say Numbers from One to 100 Say individual  numbers between one and twenty. After that, use the tens (twenty, thirty, etc.) followed by the numbers one through nine: 7 - seven19 - nineteen32 - thirty-two89 - eighty-nine When expressing large numbers (more than one hundred), read in groups of hundreds. The order is as follows: billion, million, thousand, hundred. Notice that hundred, thousand, etc. is NOT followed by an s: 200 is two hundred NOT two hundreds How to Say Numbers in the Hundreds Say numbers in the hundreds by beginning with numerals one through nine followed by hundred.  Finish by saying  the last two digits: 350 – three hundred fifty425 – four hundred twenty-five873 - eight hundred seventy-three112 - one hundred twelve NOTE: British English takes and following hundred. American English omits and: How to Say Numbers in the Thousands The next group is the thousands. Say a number  up to 999 followed by thousand. Finish by reading the hundreds when applicable: 15,560 – fifteen thousand  five hundred  sixty786,450 – seven hundred six thousand four hundred  fifty342,713 - three hundred forty-two thousand seven hundred thirteen569,045 - five hundred sixty-nine thousand forty-five How to Say Numbers in the  Millions For millions, say a number up to 999 followed by million. Finish by saying first the thousands and then the hundreds when applicable: 2,450,000 – two million four hundred fifty thousand27,805,234 - twenty-seven million eight hundred five thousands two hundred thirty-four934,700,000 – nine hundred thirty-four million seven hundred thousand589,432,420 - five hundred eighty-nine million four hundred thirty-two thousand four hundred twenty For even larger numbers, first use billions and then trillions in a similar manner to millions: 23,870,550,000 - twenty-three billion eight hundred seventy million five hundred fifty thousand12,600,450,345,000 - twelve trillion six hundred billion four hundred fifty million three hundred forty-five thousand Large numbers are often rounded to the next biggest or next smallest number to make things easier. For example,  345,987,650 is rounded to 350,000,000. How to Say Numbers With Decimals Speak decimals as the number followed by point. Next, say each number beyond the point individually: 2.36 - two point three six14.82 - fourteen point eight two9.7841 -nine point seven eight four one3.14159  - three point one four one five nine (thats Pi!) How  to Say Percentages Say  percentages as the number followed by percent: 37% - thirty-seven percent12% - twelve percent87% - eighty-seven percent3% - three percent How to Talk About Fractions Say  the top number as a cardinal number, followed by the ordinal number s: 3/8 - three-eighths5/16 - five-sixteenths7/8 - seven-eighths1/32 - one thirty-second Exceptions to this rule are: 1/4, 3/4 - one-quarter, three quarters1/3, 2/3 - one third, two-thirds1/2 - one-half Read numbers together with fractions by first stating the number followed by and  and then the fraction: 4 7/8 - four and seven-eighths23 1/2 - twenty-three and one-half Important Numerical Expressions Here is how to say a number of important numerical expressions in English. Speed:  100 mph (miles per hour). Read speed as numbers:  One hundred miles per hour Weight:  42 lb.  (pounds). Read weight as numbers:  forty-two pounds​Telephone numbers:  212-555-1212.  Read telephone numbers in individual numbers:  two one two five five five one two one twoDates: 12/04/65. Read dates month, day, year in the U.S.Temperature:  72 ° F (Fahrenheit).  Read temperature as degrees number:  seventy-two degrees fahrenheitHeight - 62.  Read height in feet and  then inches:  six feet two inchesScore  - 2-1. Read scores as number to number:  Two to one   ​Talking About Money When you see a price such as  $60, read the currency first then the number: Sixty dollars. If the amount includes cents, express the dollar amount first, followed by the cents: $43.35 - forty-three dollars and thirty-five cents$120.50 - one hundred twenty dollars and fifty cents Native speakers often just say  the dollar number and then the cents number and drop dollars and cents $35.80 - thirty-five eighty$175.50 - one hundred seventy-five fifty Ordinal Numbers Ordinal numbers are used when speaking about the day of the month, or a  position in a group. Most numbers end in th, except first, second, and third of every ten numbers: 1st first 2nd second 3rd third 5th fifth 8th eighth 17th seventeenth 21st twenty-first 46th forty-sixth 100th one-hundredth 1000th one thousandth Examples: His birthday is May fifth.She is third in line, behind the guy in the cap.I greeted her first, as she had been waiting the longest.