Convert a Number to Words
Number to Words Converter
Enter any whole number and instantly see how to write it in words. Great for cheques, contracts, and homework.
How the conversion works
Conversion happens in your browser — the number you type is never sent to a server. The converter reads the digits from the right in groups of three, so 1,234,567 is handled as 1 | 234 | 567.
Each group is named on its own, exactly as a three-digit number would be: the hundreds digit, then whatever is left below one hundred. The scale word for the group's position is then appended — thousand, million, billion. A group of all zeros contributes nothing at all, which is why 1,000,000 is "one million" and not "one million zero thousand".
Inside a group, 21 to 99 are hyphenated (forty-two), while 10 to 19 are single irregular words — fifteen, not "ten five". The ordinal changes only the last element, so forty-two becomes forty-second, and the check format capitalises the amount and adds the cents fraction.
Worked examples
Every row below is produced by the converter on this page, not typed by hand.
When you need a number in words
Writing a number out is usually about removing doubt, not decoration:
- Cheques and money orders. The amount is written twice, in figures and in words; in many countries the words are what the bank honours if the two disagree.
- Contracts and legal documents. Amounts, dates and quantities are commonly spelled out alongside the digits to remove any ambiguity about a misplaced comma.
- Invoices and financial statements, where a written total is expected next to the numeric one.
- Teaching and homework. Place value, hyphenation and the irregular teens are exactly what number-writing exercises test.
- Editorial style. Most house styles spell out small numbers in running text and use figures above a threshold — see the guide to spelling numbers in words.
Popular Numbers in Words
Frequently asked questions
Is it “forty two” or “forty-two”?
“forty-two”, with the hyphen. Every compound number from twenty-one to ninety-nine is hyphenated when written out — twenty-one, forty-six, ninety-nine. The hyphen disappears at round tens (forty, sixty) and is never used to join a hundreds or thousands group: one hundred forty-two.
How do I write an amount on a check?
Write the amount in words on the long line, starting with a capital letter, then the cents as a fraction over 100. For $725 that is “Seven hundred twenty-five and 00/100”. Fill any leftover space on the line so nothing can be added after your figure. Where the words and the digits disagree, most banks honour the words.
Where does “and” belong in a written amount?
In American usage “and” separates dollars from cents, so $142.50 is “one hundred forty-two and 50/100”. British English also puts an “and” inside the number itself — “one hundred and forty-two” — where American English writes “one hundred forty-two”. Both are correct in their own variety; on a check, keep “and” for the cents.
What is the difference between a cardinal and an ordinal number?
A cardinal names how many (forty-two), an ordinal names position in a sequence (forty-second). Only the last element of a written number takes the ordinal ending: one hundred twenty-one becomes one hundred twenty-first, not “one hundred twenty-oneth”.
How do I go the other way, from words back to figures?
Read the words in groups and add the scale words as you go: “fifty thousand” is 50 × 1,000 = 50,000, and “three hundred thousand” is 300 × 1,000 = 300,000. The converter on this page accepts a figure and returns the words; for the reverse, the group-and-multiply reading above is the whole method.
Why do written amounts sometimes end with “only”?
On cheques and invoices in many countries, “only” is written after the amount in words — “seventy thousand rupees only” — to close the line so no further words can be appended. It carries no numeric meaning; it is the written equivalent of drawing a line through the empty space.