How to write numbers in words
- 0 to 19 have their own names: one, two… eleven, twelve, thirteen… nineteen.
- Tens: twenty, thirty, forty (not «fourty»), fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty, ninety.
- Hyphenate 21 to 99: twenty-one, forty-five, ninety-nine.
- Bigger numbers are read in groups of three digits with a scale word: thousand, million, billion, trillion. 1,234,567 = one million two hundred thirty-four thousand five hundred sixty-seven.
- «And»: in British English it goes after «hundred» (one hundred and five); in American English it is usually left out of whole numbers and kept for the cents on a check.
- Billion means a thousand million (10⁹) in modern English, both in the US and the UK.
How to write a check amount in words
On a check, write the dollar amount in words, then «and», then the cents as a fraction of 100, and draw a line to fill the rest of the space so nothing can be added:
Example · $1,250.75
One thousand two hundred fifty and 75/100 dollars. For a whole amount such as $500, write «Five hundred and 00/100 dollars».
How many zeros are in a million, billion and trillion?
| Name | In figures | Zeros |
|---|---|---|
| Thousand | 1,000 | 3 |
| Million | 1,000,000 | 6 |
| Billion | 1,000,000,000 | 9 |
| Trillion | 1,000,000,000,000 | 12 |
| Quadrillion | 10¹⁵ | 15 |
You can also type numbers like «35k», «2.5 million» or «3.2 billion»: the tool converts them to figures, counts the zeros and writes them out.
Frequently asked questions
When should I write numbers in words in an essay?
Most style guides spell out numbers from zero to nine (APA) or zero to one hundred (Chicago) and use figures for larger ones, for measurements, dates and percentages. Always spell out a number that starts a sentence.
How do I say decimals?
Read the whole part, then «point», then each digit: 3.25 is «three point two five». For money, use «and» with cents: «three dollars and twenty-five cents».
Is there an Excel formula for this?
Excel has no built-in function to spell out numbers in English; you need a VBA macro (Microsoft publishes a «SpellNumber» example). For a few amounts, it is quicker to type them here and copy the result.