Number to Words Converter

How to use the Number to Words Converter

1. Type or paste a number. You can include commas, a minus sign, decimals or a dollar sign.
2. Read the plain-words version right away. Decimals are read digit by digit after the word "point".
3. Use the Check writing line to fill in the amount line of a paper check, and Dollars and cents for invoices and contracts.
4. Whole numbers also get an Ordinal line, like "twenty-first", for dates and rankings.
5. Pick a letter case and, if you prefer, British-style "and". Click Copy next to any line.

How it works

English names numbers in groups of three digits. The tool splits the integer part into those groups from the right, spells each group as hundreds, tens and ones (with a hyphen for 21 to 99, as in "forty-two"), and adds the scale word for its position: thousand, million, billion and so on up to vigintillion (10⁶³). It uses the short scale used in the United States and modern British English, where a billion is 1,000,000,000. Because the digits are processed as text, not as a floating-point number, even a 60-digit integer is spelled exactly.

US style leaves out "and" inside whole numbers (101 is "one hundred one") and saves it for the decimal point or for cents on a check. Tick British style to get "one hundred and one". Decimals are read digit by digit, so 3.14 is "three point one four"; that is how numbers are usually read aloud and it works for any number of decimal places.

The check-writing format rounds to the nearest cent and writes the cents as a fraction of 100. For 1,234.56 it gives "One thousand two hundred thirty-four and 56/100 dollars", which you would follow with a line to the end of the box so nobody can add words. Ordinals change only the last word: one becomes first, two second, three third, five fifth, eight eighth, nine ninth, twelve twelfth, words ending in "y" become "-ieth" (twenty to twentieth), and everything else adds "th" (one hundred to one hundredth).

Frequently asked questions

How do I write $1,250.75 on a check?
Write "One thousand two hundred fifty and 75/100" on the amount line, followed by a line to the end of the space, with the printed word "Dollars" after it. The tool's Check writing line gives you the exact wording.

Should I write "and" in numbers like 101?
In US English, "and" is usually reserved for the decimal point, so 101 is "one hundred one" and 1.5 is "one and five tenths" or "one point five". In British English, "one hundred and one" is standard. Both are correct in their region.

Do I hyphenate numbers like twenty-one?
Yes. Compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine are hyphenated, even when they are part of a larger number: "three hundred forty-five".

How big a number can it handle?
Up to 66 digits before the decimal point, which reaches the vigintillions (10⁶³). The words are exact for every digit because the number is never rounded.

How are negative numbers written?
With "minus" in front, such as "minus forty-two". Check-writing and ordinal lines are not shown for negative numbers, since neither makes sense below zero.