Number to Words Converter
Type any number and get it spelled out in full English words. Supports integers, decimals, negatives, and numbers up to one trillion.
In words
When Do You Need to Spell Out a Number?
There are several everyday situations where writing a number in words is required or conventional:
Cheques and legal documents — Banks and legal forms require amounts to be written in both digits and words to prevent fraud and ambiguity. "One thousand two hundred and thirty-four dollars" cannot be altered the way "1,234" could be.
Formal writing — Style guides like AP, Chicago, and APA all require numbers under a certain threshold (usually 10 or 100) to be spelled out in body text. "She ran three miles" rather than "She ran 3 miles."
Certificates and official documents — Diplomas, certificates, and formal correspondence often spell out years, ages, and quantities.
Programming and automation — Generating written reports, invoices, contracts, or notifications often requires converting stored numeric values into readable text.
Accessibility — Screen readers handle spelled-out numbers more reliably than digit strings in some contexts.
Style Rules for Writing Numbers
Different style guides have different rules. The most common:
| Rule | AP Style | Chicago Style | APA Style |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spell out numbers | One through nine | One through one hundred | One through nine |
| Use numerals from | 10 and above | 101 and above | 10 and above |
| Large round numbers | "5 million" | "five million" | "5 million" |
| Beginning of sentence | Always spell out | Always spell out | Always spell out |
When a sentence starts with a number, always spell it out regardless of which style guide you follow — or rewrite the sentence to avoid starting with a number.
How Large Numbers Are Named
The naming of large numbers follows a consistent pattern in English:
| Number | Name |
|---|---|
| 1,000 | One thousand |
| 1,000,000 | One million |
| 1,000,000,000 | One billion |
| 1,000,000,000,000 | One trillion |
| 1,000,000,000,000,000 | One quadrillion |
The American (short scale) system is used here, which is now standard in most English-speaking countries. In this system, a billion is 1,000 millions. The older British "long scale" used a billion to mean one million millions — this is now rare even in the UK.
Ordinal Numbers
Ordinal numbers express position or rank: first, second, third, fourth, and so on. They answer the question "which one?" rather than "how many?".
The ordinal form of most numbers is formed by adding "-th" to the cardinal form: four → fourth, seven → seventh. The exceptions are: one → first, two → second, three → third, five → fifth, eight → eighth, nine → ninth, twelve → twelfth.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you write a decimal number in words?
The decimal point is read as "point" in everyday speech: 3.14 → "three point one four." In formal financial or legal writing, the decimal part may be written as a fraction: "three and fourteen hundredths." The currency option on this tool writes cents as "X dollars and Y cents."
How do you write negative numbers in words?
Negative numbers are preceded by "negative" (in technical and mathematical contexts) or "minus" (in everyday speech). This tool uses "negative."
Is "and" used in British and American English differently?
Yes. In British English, "and" is used before the tens in compound numbers: "one hundred and twenty-three." American English style guides often omit "and" (just "one hundred twenty-three"), though many Americans still use "and" informally. This tool follows the British/traditional convention and includes "and."
How do you say the year 2024?
Years are typically said in pairs of digits: "twenty twenty-four." They can also be said as a straight cardinal number: "two thousand and twenty-four." The pair-reading convention shifted around the year 2000 — "two thousand" was universally used for years 2000–2009, but "twenty-ten" and beyond became common from 2010 onward.
