Number to words converter

Turn any number into words

This number to words converter spells out the figure you type: 221 becomes "two hundred and twenty-one", 1,001 becomes "one thousand and one". Use it to write a cheque amount in words, to draft a contract or to check a spelling. It reads whole numbers up to 999,999,999,999,999, decimals (3.14 gives "three point one four") and negative numbers ("minus forty-two"). Everything runs in your browser.

How to use it

1. Type the figure into "Number or amount to write in words". Thousands separators are fine: 1,234.56 or 1234.56.
2. For money, pick a "Currency": "Pound and penny", "Dollar and cent", "Euro and cent" or "Swiss franc and centime". 100.05 gives "one hundred pounds and five pence". Amounts are rounded to the nearest hundredth.
3. Set the "Letter case": "lowercase", "Capital first letter" or "UPPERCASE".
4. Under "Usage (English)", choose "British: one hundred and one" or "American: one hundred one". Tick "US check style (cents as 05/100)" to get "one hundred and 05/100 dollars".
5. Tick "Ordinal number (first, second…)" for a rank from 1 to 1,000,000: 21 gives "twenty-first".
6. Press "Copy". The "Breakdown in groups of three digits" shows how the number is built, and "Write in" gives the same number in French, Spanish, German or Italian.

The rules that trip people up

"And". British English puts "and" after the hundreds: one hundred and twenty-one, two thousand and five. When there are no hundreds, "and" comes before the last part: one thousand and one. American English usually leaves it out: one hundred twenty-one. On a US check, "and" is kept for the cents alone.

Hyphens. Compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine take a hyphen, wherever they sit in the number: thirty-four thousand, five hundred and sixty-seven. Nothing else is hyphenated: "one hundred", not "one-hundred".

No plural s. Hundred, thousand and million stay singular after a number: two hundred, three thousand, five million.

Billion. In modern British and American usage a billion is a thousand million (1,000,000,000) and a trillion is a million million. Other languages kept the long scale: the Spanish "billón" and the German "Billion" are 1,000,000,000,000.

Spellings. Forty has no u. Watch fifteen, fifty, eighteen, eighty, ninety (with an e), nineteen, and the ordinals fifth, eighth, ninth, twelfth and twentieth.

Decimals. After "point", read the digits one by one: 2.75 is "two point seven five", not "two point seventy-five".

Fifteen numbers people get wrong

The tool writes long numbers without commas, which is the safer form on a cheque.

Writing a cheque amount in words

Write the amount in words on the line provided, starting at the far left, and draw a line through any space left over so that nothing can be added. In the UK the usual form is "one hundred pounds and five pence", often followed by "only" for a round sum. In the US, write the dollars in words and the cents as a fraction: "one hundred and 05/100", with "dollars" printed at the end of the line. Check that the words match the figures in the box: when they disagree, a bank may refuse the cheque or go by the words. The same care applies to a contract or a receipt.

When to spell out numbers in a text

Style guides differ, but a common rule is to spell out one to nine and use figures from 10 upwards. Many also spell out any number that begins a sentence. Figures are normal for dates, measurements, prices, percentages and tables. Whichever rule you follow, apply it the same way throughout the document.

Frequently asked questions

Is it "forty" or "fourty"?

Forty. Four and fourteen keep the u, forty drops it. The ordinal is fortieth.

Should I write "one hundred and one" or "one hundred one"?

Both are correct. "One hundred and one" is standard in British English and common in everyday American speech; "one hundred one" is the form taught in American schools and used on checks. Choose it under "Usage (English)".

How do I write £1,250.50 in words?

Pick "Pound and penny" and type 1250.50: "one thousand two hundred and fifty pounds and fifty pence".

How does the tool read a comma?

On this English page a comma followed by three digits is a thousands separator: 32,000 is thirty-two thousand. The full stop marks the decimals.