Number to Words Converter - Free English Tool

Number to Words: How It Works

Converting numbers to words is required on cheques, contracts and legal documents, where a written amount is the authoritative figure and the digits are a convenience. The rules differ by region, and one of the differences can change the value by three orders of magnitude.

Short scale and long scale

English-speaking countries and most of the world's finance use the short scale. Parts of continental Europe and Latin America use the long scale.

Value	Short scale	Long scale
10⁹	Billion	Milliard
10¹²	Trillion	Billion
10¹⁵	Quadrillion	Billiard
10¹⁸	Quintillion	Trillion

A 'billion' therefore means 10⁹ or 10¹² depending on where the document was written. In any cross-border financial document, write the figure in digits alongside the words.

The Indian numbering system

South Asia groups digits differently — by two after the first three rather than by three throughout.

Value	Indian	Written
100,000	1 Lakh	1,00,000
10,000,000	1 Crore	1,00,00,000
1,000,000,000	100 Crore / 1 Arab	1,00,00,00,000

Note the comma placement: 1,00,00,000 rather than 10,000,000. Software that assumes three-digit grouping formats Indian amounts incorrectly, which is a recurring localisation bug.

Cheque conventions

Begin with a capital and end with 'only' — 'Four Thousand Five Hundred Rupees Only'.
The word 'only' prevents anyone appending further digits or words.
Fill any remaining space on the line with a horizontal stroke.
Write cents, paise or pence as a fraction or in words: 'and 50/100' or 'and Fifty Paise'.
Where words and figures disagree, the words generally prevail — the reason the convention exists.

Style rules in prose

Situation	Convention
Numbers under ten	Spell out
Numbers ten and above	Digits (AP); under 101 spelled out (Chicago)
Starting a sentence	Always spell out, or rewrite the sentence
Ages, percentages, measurements	Digits
Approximations	Spell out — 'about a hundred'

Hyphenation

Compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine are hyphenated: 'forty-two', 'three hundred sixty-seven'. Hundreds and thousands are not hyphenated to what follows. British usage inserts 'and' before the final component — 'one hundred and forty-two' — where American usage typically omits it.

Ordinals

First, second, third, then a regular pattern of adding -th with spelling adjustments: fifth, ninth, twelfth, twentieth. In digits, the suffix follows the final digit: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th — with the exception that 11th, 12th and 13th all take -th despite ending in 1, 2 and 3.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does a billion mean two different things?

Two systems exist. The short scale, used across the English-speaking world and in international finance, makes a billion 10⁹. The long scale, still used in parts of Europe and Latin America, makes it 10¹². Always include digits alongside words in cross-border documents.

What are lakh and crore?

Units in the South Asian numbering system: one lakh is 100,000 and one crore is 10,000,000. Digits are also grouped differently — 1,00,00,000 rather than 10,000,000 — which software assuming three-digit groups gets wrong.

Why do cheques end with the word 'only'?

To close the line so nobody can append further words or digits. Filling the remaining space with a horizontal stroke serves the same purpose, and both are standard practice.

What happens if the words and figures on a cheque disagree?

In most jurisdictions the written amount prevails, which is the entire reason for writing it. Words are far harder to alter convincingly than digits.

When should I spell numbers out in writing?

Conventions differ: AP style spells out under ten and uses digits from ten up, while Chicago spells out under 101. All styles agree that a number starting a sentence must be spelled out or the sentence rewritten.

How are compound numbers hyphenated?

Twenty-one through ninety-nine are hyphenated. Hundreds and thousands are not hyphenated to what follows, so it is 'three hundred forty-two'. British usage adds 'and' before the final part; American usage generally omits it.