How to count in Spanish

Enter a number and get it written in full in Spanish.

Language overview

Spanish (español, also known as Castillan, or castellano) is a romance language (more specifically in the Ibero-Romance group) from the indo-european family. Official language in 21 countries, including Spain, Mexico, Colombia and Argentine, it counts about 330 million speakers (of which 40 million in Spain alone).

Spanish numbering rules

  • Digits and numbers from zero to fifteen are specific words, namely cero [0], uno [1], dos [2], tres [3], cuatro [4], cinco [5], seis [6], siete [7], ocho [8], nueve [9], diez [10], once [11], doce [12], trece [13], catorce [14], quince [15]. Sixteen to twenty-nine are regular numbers, i.e. named after the ten (or the twenty) and the digit. Diez y seis [10 and 6] is phonetically shortened with an apocope as dieciséis. The same applies up to twenty-nine: diecisiete [10 and 7], dieciocho [10 and 8]… veintinueve [20 and 9].
  • The tens have specific names based on their multiplier digit root except for ten and twenty: diez [10], veinte [20], treinta [30], cuarenta [40], cinquenta [50], sesenta [60], setenta [70], ochenta [80] and noventa [90].
  • The same applies for the hundreds where one word is created by removing the space between the multiplier and the hundred word: cien [100] (plural cientos), but doscientos [200], trescientos [300], cuatrocientos [400], quinientos [500], seiscientos [600], setecientos [700], ochocientos [800], and novecientos [900].
  • Tens and units are linked with y (and), as in treinta y cinco [35].
  • The Spanish language uses the long scale for big numbers where every new word greater than a million is one million times bigger than the previous term. Thus, um billón is 1012 (equivalent to the US trillion), and the US billion (109) is called mil millones, or one thousand million. The only exception is the Spanish spoken in Puerto Rico where the short scale is in use (every new word greater than a million is one thousand times bigger than the previous term). In Puerto Rico, um billón is 109 (equivalent to the US billion).

Books

Schaum’s Outline of Spanish Grammar, 5edSchaum’s Outline of Spanish Grammar, 5ed
by Conrad J. Schmitt, editors McGraw-Hill (2008)
[ Amazon.com]

Spanish GrammarSpanish Grammar
by Christopher Kendris, editors Barron’s Educational Series (2001)
[ Amazon.com]

A Comprehensive Spanish GrammarA Comprehensive Spanish Grammar
by Jacques De Bruyne, editors Wiley-Blackwell (1996)
[ Amazon.com]

Les Idiomatics : Français-espagnolLes Idiomatics : Français-espagnol
by Nestor Salas, editors Seuil (2003)
[ Amazon.com, Fnac.com]

Grammaire de l’espagnolGrammaire de l’espagnol
by Beatriz Job, Marie-Claude Dana, editors Nathan (1999)
[ Fnac.com, Amazon.com]

Bescherelle Grammaire EspagnoleBescherelle Grammaire Espagnole
by Monique Da Silva, editors Hatier (1998)
[ Fnac.com, Amazon.com]

Parlons espagnol : langue et cultureParlons espagnol : langue et culture
by Gilbert Fabre, editors L’Harmattan (1997)
[ Fnac.com]

Numbers list

1 – uno
2 – dos
3 – tres
4 – cuatro
5 – cinco
6 – seis
7 – siete
8 – ocho
9 – nueve
10 – diez
11 – once
12 – doce
13 – trece
14 – catorce
15 – quince
16 – dieciséis
17 – diecisiete
18 – dieciocho
19 – diecinueve
20 – veinte
30 – treinta
40 – cuarenta
50 – cinquenta
60 – sesenta
70 – setenta
80 – ochenta
90 – noventa
100 – cien
1,000 – mil
one million – un millón
one billion – mil millones
one trillion – un billón

Links

Romance languages

Asturian, Catalan, Corsican, Eonavian, French, French (Belgium), French (Switzerland), Friulian, Galician, Italian, Ladin, Latin, Lombard (Milanese), Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Romansh, Sardinian, Spanish, Spanish (Puerto Rico), and Venetian.

Other supported languages

Supported languages by families
As the other currently supported languages are too numerous to list extensively here, please select a language from the following select box, or from the full list of supported languages.