Numbers into words

You learn to write a number in words, in the order you say it.

How to work it out

  1. Write the hundreds first: three hundred.
  2. Then write ‘and’.
  3. Then write the tens, a hyphen and the ones: forty-eight.
  4. Put it all together.
D1.000
—
H100
4
T10
7
E1
2
400 + 70 + 2=472

A worked example

48

  1. Say the number out loud: forty-eight.
  2. Write the tens: forty.
  3. Put a hyphen and then the ones: forty-eight.
D1.000
—
H100
0
T10
4
E1
8
40 + 8=048
More examples

348

  1. Write the hundreds first: three hundred.
  2. Then write ‘and’.
  3. Then write forty-eight.
  4. Put it all together: three hundred and forty-eight.
D1.000
—
H100
3
T10
4
E1
8
300 + 40 + 8=348

72

  1. Write the tens: seventy.
  2. Put a hyphen and then the ones: seventy-two.
D1.000
—
H100
0
T10
7
E1
2
70 + 2=072

Try it yourself

  1. Write this number in words

    348

  2. Write this number in words

    38

Watch out

  • You forget the hyphen: 48 becomes forty eight.

    Between the tens and the ones there is a hyphen: forty-eight.

  • You forget ‘and’ after the hundreds: 348 becomes three hundred forty-eight.

    After hundred comes ‘and’ when something follows: three hundred and forty-eight.

Tips

  • If the number ends in 0, you only say the tens: forty, not forty-zero.

Exceptions

  • From 11 to 19 there is no hyphen: eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen.

Why it works

You write a number the way you say it. The hundreds come first. After the hundreds you write ‘and’. Then come the tens and the ones, joined with a hyphen: forty-eight.