Number to words guide
Number to words: writing amounts for cheques and everything else
In short
Type a number and choose a format: plain words, currency, cheque writing, ordinal (first, second), place value or digit by digit. For a cheque, 1,298.24 becomes “One thousand two hundred ninety-eight dollars and 24/100 only”. Switch between the international system (million, billion) and the South Asian system (lakh, crore), and between US and British wording; British style adds “and” after hundreds.
- Formats
- Words, currency, cheque, ordinal
- Number systems
- Million/billion and lakh/crore
- Currencies
- 32 built in, plus your own
- Largest number
- 66 digits (vigintillion)
How to convert numbers to words
Enter the number. Commas, decimals, minus signs, amounts in brackets such as (42.50) and scientific notation like 1.2e6 are all understood.
Choose an output format: Number words, Currency, Check writing, Ordinal, Place value or Read digits.
Pick the Naming system (International or South Asian) and English wording (US or British), and for money, the currency.
Press Convert to words, then copy the result or download it as PDF, Word, text, CSV or JSON.
How to write a cheque (check) amount in words
On a US check, the amount line takes the dollars in words and the cents as a fraction over 100, followed by a line to the end of the space so nothing can be added. The Check writing format produces exactly that. It ends with “only” by default, as South Asian and British cheques usually do; choose No ending for a typical US check.
| Amount | Settings | In words |
|---|---|---|
| $1,298.24 | Check writing, US English | One thousand two hundred ninety-eight dollars and 24/100 only |
| $1,298.24 | Check writing, British English | One thousand two hundred and ninety-eight dollars and 24/100 only |
| $500.00 | Check writing, US English | Five hundred dollars and 00/100 only |
| $1,298.24 | Currency, US English | One thousand two hundred ninety-eight dollars and twenty-four cents |
Lakh and crore in words (and in millions)
The South Asian system, used in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, groups the last three digits and then works in pairs: 1,00,000 is one lakh and 1,00,00,000 is one crore. The converter gives “One lakh” and “One crore”, and a comparison panel shows the international wording alongside.
| Number | South Asian | International |
|---|---|---|
| 1,00,000 | One lakh | One hundred thousand |
| 10,00,000 | Ten lakh | One million |
| 1,00,00,000 | One crore | Ten million |
| 10,00,00,000 | Ten crore | One hundred million |
| 1,00,00,00,000 | One arab | One billion |
Past crore come arab (100 crore), kharab (100 arab) and larger names up to mahashankh, so the South Asian setting handles numbers up to 21 digits. The international setting goes up to vigintillion, 66 digits long.
Rules for writing numbers in words
- Hyphens
- Compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine take a hyphen: forty-two, ninety-nine. It's on by default and can be switched off.
- “And”
- British English says “one hundred and five”; American English usually drops the “and”. Choose British style for the first, US style for the second.
- Billion
- A billion is a thousand million (1,000,000,000) in both US and modern British usage. The UK government adopted this meaning in 1974.
- When to spell numbers out
- AP style spells out one to nine and uses figures from 10. The Chicago Manual of Style spells out zero to one hundred in general writing. Both write out a number that starts a sentence.
Decimals, ordinals and other formats
| Input | Format | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1298.24 | Number words, digits after the point | One thousand two hundred ninety-eight point two four |
| 1298.24 | Number words, as a fraction | One thousand two hundred ninety-eight and twenty-four hundredths |
| 21 | Ordinal | Twenty-first |
| 112 | Ordinal | One hundred twelfth |
| 1298.24 | Place value | One thousand + two hundred + ninety + eight + two tenths + four hundredths |
| 1.2e6 | Number words | One million two hundred thousand |
Decimals can be read digit by digit (“point two four”) or as a fraction (“twenty-four hundredths”, up to six decimal places). Currency amounts are rounded to the currency's smallest unit, such as cents or fils, and the result tells you when rounding happened.
Common questions
How do you write numbers in words on a check?
Write the dollars in words and the cents as a fraction over 100, then draw a line to the end of the space. For $1,298.24 that's “One thousand two hundred ninety-eight dollars and 24/100”.
How do I write cents on a check?
As a fraction over 100 after the word “and”: 24 cents is “and 24/100”. If there are no cents, write “and 00/100”.
How do you write 1 lakh in words?
“One lakh”, which is one hundred thousand (1,00,000) in the international system.
How do you write 1 crore in words?
“One crore”, which is ten million (1,00,00,000) in the international system.
How many zeros are in a lakh and a crore?
A lakh has five zeros (1,00,000) and a crore has seven (1,00,00,000). Ten lakh make a million, and a hundred crore make a billion.
How do you write 1 million in words?
“One million”. There's no hyphen and no “and”.
Should twenty-one be hyphenated?
Yes. Compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine are hyphenated in standard English, such as twenty-one and seventy-five.
Is it “one hundred and five” or “one hundred five”?
Both are correct. British English includes “and”; American English usually leaves it out. Choose British or US style in the converter.
What if the words and figures on a cheque are different?
The amount in words normally takes priority, under the US Uniform Commercial Code and India's Negotiable Instruments Act. Banks may also return a cheque with mismatched amounts.
How large a number can it convert?
Up to 66 whole digits (vigintillion) in the international system and 21 digits (mahashankh) in the South Asian system, with up to 100 decimal places. It works digit by digit, so nothing is rounded unless you choose a currency.
Sources
- UCC § 3-114: contradictory terms of instrumentCornell Law School, Legal Information Institute
- How to write a checkHuntington Bank
- Indian numbering systemWikipedia
- English numerals (hyphens and “and”)Wikipedia
- Long and short scalesWikipedia
- Numbers (Chicago Manual of Style Q&A)The Chicago Manual of Style Online