{"id":173868,"date":"2023-07-07T15:04:49","date_gmt":"2023-07-07T19:04:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/counting-in-english\/"},"modified":"2025-02-24T22:48:57","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T03:48:57","slug":"counting-in-english","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/english\/counting-in-english\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Count in English: Numbers 1 to 1,000,000"},"content":{"rendered":"

Learning to count in English can be difficult for language learners, especially since\u00a0large numbers<\/a> can become very complex (not to mention the fact that English speakers from different regions<\/a> say and pronounce some numbers totally differently).<\/p>\n

If you are looking to count in English with ease, you should identify patterns that will make it much easier to learn number sequences\u2014even big, complicated ones.\u00a0Patterns add meaning and organization, ensuring that you’re not just memorizing blindly<\/a>. In this article, we will show you several counting patterns to look out for.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Cardinal Numbers<\/h2>\n

In simple terms, cardinal numbers are figures that denote quantity. For example, “there are five<\/strong> eggs in the basket.” The number five is a cardinal number as it tells us the quantity of eggs in the basket. These are the numbers that students learn when they’re studying English for beginners<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Before we get into the details, here’s a quick introduction to some of the most commonly used numbers in English:<\/p>\n

\"counting<\/a><\/p>\n

Counting from 0 to 20<\/h3>\n

These cardinal numbers are the ones you will use most often in daily life<\/a>. Plus, as you will see later in this article, most of the names for larger cardinal numbers are based on these numbers.<\/p>\n

0<\/strong> \u2014 zero, oh, nought, nil<\/em><\/p>\n

The first number in our list below can be pronounced in several different ways: “Zero,” “Oh,” “Nought” and “Nil.” However, “zero” is the more common usage.<\/p>\n

“Oh” is sometimes used when reading a string of numbers out loud. For example, room 801 in a hotel could be read as “room eight-oh-one.”<\/p>\n

“Nought” can only be found in British English, sometimes in terms of expressing a decimal. For example, the percentage 0.05% can be read as “nought point nought five percent.”<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, “nil” is often used to express a game score between two competitors<\/a>. For example, the soccer game score of 2-0 can be read as “two-nil.”<\/p>\n

1<\/strong> \u2014 one<\/em><\/p>\n

2<\/strong> \u2014 two<\/em><\/p>\n

3<\/strong> \u2014 three<\/em><\/p>\n

4<\/strong> \u2014 four<\/em><\/p>\n

5<\/strong> \u2014 five<\/em><\/p>\n

6<\/strong> \u2014 six<\/em><\/p>\n

7<\/strong> \u2014 seven<\/em><\/p>\n

8<\/strong> \u2014 eight<\/em><\/p>\n

9<\/strong> \u2014 nine<\/em><\/p>\n

10<\/strong> \u2014 ten<\/em><\/p>\n

11<\/strong> \u2014 eleven<\/em><\/p>\n

12<\/strong> \u2014 twelve<\/em><\/p>\n

13<\/strong> \u2014 thirteen<\/em><\/p>\n

14<\/strong> \u2014 fourteen<\/em><\/p>\n

15<\/strong> \u2014 fifteen<\/em><\/p>\n

16<\/strong> \u2014 sixteen<\/em><\/p>\n

17<\/strong> \u2014 seventeen<\/em><\/p>\n

18<\/strong> \u2014 eighteen<\/em><\/p>\n

19<\/strong> \u2014 nineteen<\/em><\/p>\n

20<\/strong> \u2014 twenty<\/em><\/p>\n

Counting in Tens<\/h3>\n

Numbers that you can count in tens (20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90) will always end with the letters “ty” (pronounced “tee”).<\/p>\n

For example, the number 20 is twenty<\/strong>. Similarly:<\/p>\n

30<\/strong> \u2014 thirty<\/em><\/p>\n

40<\/strong> \u2014 forty<\/em> (notice that it is not<\/strong><\/em> spelled fou<\/strong>rty)<\/p>\n

50<\/strong> \u2014 fifty<\/em><\/p>\n

60<\/strong> \u2014 sixty<\/em><\/p>\n

70<\/strong> \u2014 seventy<\/em><\/p>\n

80<\/strong> \u2014 eighty<\/em><\/p>\n

90<\/strong> \u2014 ninety<\/em><\/p>\n

Counting Any Double Digit Number<\/h3>\n

The\u00a0double digit<\/em> numbers are 10 through 99 (in other words, the numbers with two digits).<\/p>\n

Once you know how to count to 20 and how to count in tens, you can easily count any of the remaining double digit numbers. All you have to do is combine the vocabulary.<\/p>\n

Simply say the “tens” form of the first digit, then say the number in the second digit<\/strong>. For example, the number 76 can be read as seventy-six (not<\/strong><\/em> seven-six or seven-sixty).<\/p>\n

Let us review more examples:<\/p>\n

42<\/strong> \u2014 forty-two<\/em><\/p>\n

81<\/strong> \u2014 eighty-one<\/em><\/p>\n

29<\/strong> \u2014 twenty-nine<\/em><\/p>\n

67<\/strong> \u2014 sixty-seven<\/em><\/p>\n

56<\/strong> \u2014 fifty-six<\/em><\/p>\n

33<\/strong> \u2014 thirty-three<\/em><\/p>\n

Counting Hundreds and Thousands<\/h3>\n

Notice that a comma is placed to separate groups of three digits:<\/p>\n

100<\/strong> \u2014 one hundred<\/em><\/p>\n

1,000<\/strong> \u2014 one thousand<\/em><\/p>\n

10,000<\/strong> \u2014 ten thousand<\/em><\/p>\n

100,000<\/strong> \u2014 one hundred thousand<\/em><\/p>\n

1,000,000<\/strong> \u2014 one million<\/em><\/p>\n

Counting Complex Large Numbers<\/h3>\n

Do not be taken aback by big numbers. Everything is about combining vocabulary that we have already learned. Just try breaking down big numbers into bite-sized readable content.<\/p>\n

134<\/strong> \u2014 One hundred and thirty-four<\/em><\/p>\n

831<\/strong> \u2014 Eight hundred and thirty-one<\/em><\/p>\n

1,211<\/strong> \u2014 One thousand, two hundred and eleven<\/em><\/p>\n

4,563<\/strong> \u2014 Four thousand, five hundred and sixty-three<\/em><\/p>\n

131,600<\/strong> \u2014 One hundred and thirty-one thousand, six hundred<\/em><\/p>\n

903,722<\/strong> \u2014 Nine hundred and three thousand, seven hundred and twenty-two<\/em><\/p>\n

Ordinal Numbers<\/h2>\n

Now that you have learned about cardinal numbers, it is time for some ordinal numbers! Ordinal numbers tell you the position of something in a sequence<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

You only have to remember the first group of ordinal numbers, and the rest will be easy!<\/p>\n

Maybe you have already heard these used in sports competitions, like the Olympics. First place wins gold, second place takes silver, third place takes bronze, etc.<\/p>\n

1st<\/strong> \u2014 first<\/em> (number one in a sequence)<\/p>\n

2nd<\/strong> \u2014 second<\/em> (number two in a sequence)<\/p>\n

3rd<\/strong> \u2014 third<\/em> (number three in a sequence)<\/p>\n

4th<\/strong> \u2014 fourth<\/em> (number four in a sequence)<\/p>\n

Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jimmy was the best artist in the art competition today. He won first prize!<\/em><\/p>\n

Tom came to school early today. He was the second student to arrive.<\/em><\/p>\n

You were the third person to comment on my Facebook post. My parents commented before you.<\/em><\/p>\n

I am the fourth child in the family, so everyone treats me like a baby.<\/em><\/p>\n

Counting Any Ordinal Number<\/h3>\n

Now you can turn any cardinal number into an ordinal number by following these rules:<\/p>\n