Numbers, numbers, everywhere…
No escape from it anywhere!
Reading your favourite book? Going through your academic papers? Glancing at newspapers? Traveling somewhere? Doing your job at your workplace? Well, let’s bring an end to it now. To be honest, no matter what kind of activity you do, coming across numbers, especially, large figures, is inevitable. Are you wondering as to how to spell numbers? If yes, you have come to the right place for we will share with you the most effective tips on it.
What often feels irritable is to pronounce and spell out those huge figures! If you find spelling out these giant numbers a tad confusing, just chill. After all, you are not alone to face this problem. We will offer a step-by-step guide to help you swim through the sea of numbers.
Tips To Spell English Numbers
Step 1: Know The Names For Each Position Of Digits In A Number
Haven’t all of us learnt the numbering system in our junior classes? Well, the time has come to use the concepts that you had learned previously. Always remember that a large number has several digits and each digit has a distinct place value. For instance, in the number 456, the digit ‘6’ stands in the one’s place, ‘5’ stands in the tens place, and 4 stands in the hundreds place.
Come, let’s now see what figure makes for those huge figures of several thousand, millions, and billion.
If the figure is a simple 1,000, it is spelt out as one thousand. 10,000 is pronounced as ten thousand. The figure 100,000 is uttered as one hundred thousand. Now, when the number is 1,000,000, it is called one million. You can call the number ten million if it is 10,000,000. One hundred million stands for 100,000,000. So, you can now easily understand that 1,000,000,000 is one billion.
Have you come across terms such as “zillion” and “jillion?” Well, if yes, to know how to spell English numbers, it becomes essential for you to remember that these words have been randomly coined by people to refer to exceptionally huge numbers. Some other funny words like ‘zillion’ are bajillion, gazillion, and kajillion that are used to refer to the mammoth numbers.
Step 2: Pay Heed To The Punctuation Mark Present In Numbers
In English, large figures are often separated by a comma as a marker of a group of threes, and a dot is used to show fractional or decimal numbers. For instance, there is a number- 23,500: it has to be spelt out as twenty-three thousand, five hundred. Or say, if the number is 2,900,056: it will be read out as two million, nine hundred thousand fifty-six.
Coming to the decimal numbers, always remember that the ‘.’ or dot is read as ‘and.’ Say if there is a number 700.40, you have to spell it out as seven hundred and forty.
Your worry about how to properly spell numbers is slowly easing, isn’t it? After all, you are finding it easy, what say?
Step 3: Utter The Word “Hundred” While Spelling Out Numbers Falling In The Range Of 1100 And 9999
While spelling out English numbers that come in the category of 1100 to 9999, it is essential that you use the word ‘hundred’ rather than emphasizing the ‘thousand.’ Let us use an example! Say, the word is 4500, it is conventional to read it as forty-five hundred rather than saying four thousand five hundred.
Step 4: Use ‘Oh’ While Spelling Out Years Having A Zero At The Tens’ Place
For spelling out years such as 1705 and 1907, the right way is “seventeen oh-five” and “nineteen oh-seven,” respectively.
At other times, while reading years like that of 1984, you need to say nineteen eighty-four. F the year is like that of 1100 or 2100, it has to be read as eleven hundred and twenty-one hundred, respectively.
Now, here comes the weirdly funny part! Years after 1999 got an altogether different way of pronunciation. For instance, the year 2007 can be spelt as both “two thousand seven” and “twenty oh-seven.” Now, if the year is 2020, it can be read as either “two thousand twenty” or “twenty twenty.” And, guess what? The same pronunciation goes for 2015, 2017, 2019, and so on.
How Can You Practice Spelling Large Numbers?
Join English Discord Server
If you wish to keep your practice of reading out large numbers going on, you may consider joining the English Discord Server to polish your pronunciation skills. It is a great place to make yourself an expert in English Grammar and Language. You will get support, data resources, a practice partner, and constant feedback from the app. Isn’t it going to be awesome? After all, you will gain the power to spell out numbers in the most precise way possible. How great is that?
Imagine Yourself As A News Reporter And Blurt Out “Numbers”
Just learning the right way is not enough! Make sure that you are practicing uttering the numbers in a current way. Lack of practice may make you spell out the figures in the wrong way as you used to. To ensure you correctly pronounce the numbers, put yourself in the shoes of a news reporter and take a newspaper to read out the news pieces. As you come across the facts and figures, recall the rules that you had learnt and accordingly practice the number pronouncing rules.
Make Use Of Online Resources
You can use various online resources such as exercises, quizzes, games, and worksheets to ace your number pronouncing skills. In that way, you will be able to have proper mastery over spelling out numbers aloud.
Final Words
Learning how to spell numbers is pretty easy! Just follow the above tips and come out being an expert in this field. Knowing about these rules and implementing them is fun! Isn’t it awesome that now no one can point out your mistakes? So, start practicing! Good Luck!