Numbers in English: Cardinal, Ordinal, Time and Dates
Numbers are everywhere. You use them for your age and address, for prices at the shop, for times and dates in your calendar, and for the facts and figures at work. This guide is for A1 to B2 learners who want to say and write numbers correctly and with confidence, whether you are booking an appointment, giving a phone number, or presenting results in a meeting.
By the end you will know how to form cardinal and ordinal numbers, read large numbers, decimals and fractions, tell the time in both British and American style, and say dates and years the natural way. There are three interactive exercises to practice and a free eBook to download.
Cardinal and ordinal numbers: the two main types
There are two main types of numbers in English, and knowing which one to use is the first step.
Cardinal numbers = how many
one, two, three, twenty, one hundred
Cardinal numbers count things and give amounts. You use them for age, quantities, prices and phone numbers.
- I have three brothers.
- She is twenty-eight years old.
- There were 450 people at the event.
Ordinal numbers = in what order
first, second, third, twentieth
Ordinal numbers show order or position. You use them for rankings, floors, and the day in a date.
- This is my first lesson.
- Our office is on the tenth floor.
- Her birthday is the 31st of May.
How to form cardinal numbers
Cardinal numbers follow a clear pattern once you know the building blocks. The numbers one to twelve are irregular and must be learned, then the rules take over.
| Range | Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 12 | Irregular, learn by heart | zero, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve |
| 13 to 19 | Add the ending -teen | thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen |
| 20 to 90 | Tens end in -ty | twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty, ninety |
| 21 to 99 | Ten plus unit, joined with a hyphen | twenty-one, forty-five, seventy-eight, ninety-nine |
| Hundreds | Number + hundred | one hundred, two hundred, nine hundred |
| Big units | thousand, million, billion | one thousand, one million, one billion |
Watch the spelling of fourteen (with a u) but forty (no u). And note that hundred, thousand and million stay singular after a number: say “two hundred,” not “two hundreds.”
How to form ordinal numbers
Most ordinal numbers are made by adding -th to the cardinal number (four to fourth, six to sixth). Three of them are irregular, and a few change their spelling.
| Cardinal | Ordinal | Note |
|---|---|---|
| one | first (1st) | irregular |
| two | second (2nd) | irregular |
| three | third (3rd) | irregular |
| five | fifth (5th) | ve becomes f |
| eight | eighth (8th) | add only h |
| nine | ninth (9th) | drop the e |
| twelve | twelfth (12th) | ve becomes f |
| twenty | twentieth (20th) | y becomes ie |
| twenty-one | twenty-first (21st) | only the last word changes |
In compound numbers, only the final word takes the ordinal form: thirty-second, forty-third, one hundred and first. The short written forms use the last two letters of the word: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd.
Reading large numbers
To read a large number, split it into groups of three digits from the right. Commas mark each group, and each group is read with its unit (thousand, million, billion).
| Number | How to say it |
|---|---|
| 1,250 | one thousand, two hundred and fifty |
| 7,000 | seven thousand |
| 15,340 | fifteen thousand, three hundred and forty |
| 2,500,000 | two million, five hundred thousand |
| 1,000,000,000 | one billion |
In British English, add and before the tens and units in the last group: “three hundred and fifty.” In American English, the “and” is often dropped: “three hundred fifty.” Remember that the big units stay singular after a number (two million, not two millions). You only add an s in vague amounts with “of”: “thousands of people,” “millions of views.”
Decimals, fractions and percentages
These come up constantly in prices, measurements and data, so they are worth getting right.
| Written | How to say it |
|---|---|
| 3.14 | three point one four (each digit after the point, one by one) |
| 0.5 | zero point five, or just point five |
| 1/2 | a half |
| 1/4 | a quarter |
| 3/4 | three quarters |
| 2/3 | two thirds |
| 50% | fifty percent |
The key rule for decimals: after the point, say each digit separately. “3.14” is “three point one four,” never “three point fourteen.” For fractions, the bottom number is an ordinal (quarter, third, fifth), and it becomes plural when the top number is more than one (two thirds, three quarters).
The many ways to say zero
English has several words for 0, and the right one depends on the situation.
| Word | When to use it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| zero | maths, temperature, general use | The temperature is zero degrees. |
| oh | phone numbers, room numbers, years | Room two oh five (205). |
| nil | football scores (British English) | The score was two nil. |
| nought | British English, before a decimal | nought point five (0.5) |
| love | tennis | The score is forty love. |
Numbers are easy to read and harder to say out loud. Practice prices, times and dates in a real conversation with an experienced native teacher. Book a free trial lesson, no credit card needed.
Telling the time in English
There are two ways to tell the time: the digital way (just read the numbers) and the traditional way (using past and to). Both are common, so it helps to know both.
The digital way
Simply say the hour, then the minutes: 7:20 is “seven twenty,” 9:05 is “nine oh five.” This is quick and increasingly common.
The traditional way: past and to
For minutes 1 to 30, use past. For minutes 31 to 59, use to the next hour. Use quarter for 15 minutes and half for 30 minutes.
| Time | British English | American English |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 | nine o’clock | nine o’clock |
| 9:15 | a quarter past nine | a quarter after nine |
| 9:30 | half past nine | half past nine / nine thirty |
| 9:45 | a quarter to ten | a quarter to ten |
| 9:50 | ten to ten | ten to ten / nine fifty |
Use am for the morning and pm for the afternoon and evening. For exact hours, add o’clock (only with whole hours: “three o’clock,” never “three fifteen o’clock”). Two special times: 00:00 is midnight, and 12:00 is midday or noon.
Dates and years
Writing and saying dates is one of the biggest differences between British and American English, so it pays to be careful.
Writing the date
In the UK, the order is day/month/year. In the USA, it is month/day/year. That means 05/06/2024 is the 5th of June in the UK, but the 6th of May in the USA.
| Date | UK format | US format |
|---|---|---|
| 13 May 2022 | 13/05/2022 | 05/13/2022 |
| Say it (UK) | the thirteenth of May, twenty twenty-two | |
| Say it (US) | May thirteenth, twenty twenty-two | |
Notice that even though you write the day as a plain number (13 May), you say it as an ordinal: “the thirteenth of May,” or “May the thirteenth.”
Saying the year
| Year | How to say it |
|---|---|
| 1999 | nineteen ninety-nine |
| 2000 | two thousand |
| 2007 | two thousand and seven, or twenty oh seven |
| 2022 | twenty twenty-two, or two thousand twenty-two |
For most years, split the four digits into two pairs: 1999 is “nineteen, ninety-nine” and 2022 is “twenty, twenty-two.” The years 2000 to 2009 are the exception and are usually said as “two thousand (and) …”
Phone numbers and prices
Two everyday uses have their own habits worth knowing.
Phone numbers
Say each digit on its own, and use oh for 0. In British English, “double” is common for a repeated digit: 020 7946 0058 is “oh two oh, seven nine four six, double oh five eight.”
Prices and money
Say the main unit, then the smaller unit, often without the word for cents or pence: £5.50 is “five pounds fifty” or just “five fifty.” $19.99 is “nineteen ninety-nine.” The currency symbol goes before the number in writing (£20, $20) but is said after it (“twenty pounds,” “twenty dollars”).
Common mistakes with numbers in English
- Adding an s to hundred, thousand or million after a number. Wrong: “three hundreds people.” Right: “three hundred people.” Keep them singular after a number.
- Reading a decimal as a whole number. Wrong: “3.14” as “three point fourteen.” Right: “three point one four.” Say each digit after the point.
- Saying a date with a cardinal number. Wrong: “May three.” Right: “May third,” or “the third of May.” Dates use ordinals when spoken.
- Confusing -teen and -ty. “Fourteen” (14) and “forty” (40) sound similar. Stress the first syllable of the -ty word (FOR-ty) and the last of the -teen word (four-TEEN).
Download the free Numbers eBook
Get our Live English Numbers eBook as a free PDF, sent straight to your inbox, so you can use numbers in English with full confidence anytime. We respect your privacy and are GDPR compliant.
Practice exercises on numbers in English
Exercise 1. How would you say the following dates? Type your answer, then check it.
Exercise 2. Match each number with its written form.
Exercise 3. Write the following times using the word provided in brackets. Remember to say if it is in the morning or afternoon.
Quick self-check
Say each one out loud, then reveal the answers.
1. Read this number: 2,450. (British English)
2. Say this time the traditional way: 8:45.
3. Say this year: 2007.
Show answers
1. two thousand, four hundred and fifty. 2. a quarter to nine. 3. two thousand and seven (or twenty oh seven).
How did that feel? Recognising a number on paper is one thing. Saying prices, times and dates smoothly in a real conversation is the goal. In a free trial lesson, an experienced native teacher will have you practicing real numbers within minutes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between cardinal and ordinal numbers?
How do you say large numbers in English?
How do you tell the time in English?
How do you say the year in English?
What is the difference between US and UK date formats?
Do you add an s to hundred, thousand and million?
Key takeaways
- Cardinal numbers count (one, two, three); ordinal numbers order (first, second, third).
- Learn 0 to 12 by heart, then use -teen, -ty and hyphens for the rest.
- Read large numbers in groups of three; keep hundred, thousand and million singular after a number.
- After a decimal point, say each digit separately: 3.14 is “three point one four.”
- For time, use past (1 to 30) and to (31 to 59); for dates, say the day as an ordinal.
- UK dates are day/month/year; US dates are month/day/year.
Keep learning
- More free English learning guides
- A simple guide to using English numbers (blog)
- Causative verbs: let, make, have and get
- Test your English level
- Meet our English teachers
Written and reviewed by the experienced native English teachers at Live English, online since 2007.