Master Dutch Numbers
Like German, Dutch places the ones digit before the tens — so 24 is vierentwintig ("four-and-twenty"). English once followed this same pattern (think "four-and-twenty blackbirds") but reversed the order centuries ago, while Dutch kept the traditional Germanic form. When the unit ends in a vowel, Dutch adds a diaeresis to keep pronunciation clear, as in tweeëntwintig (22).
Watch the videos below, then download the Foreign Numbers app and practice what you've learned!
Dutch Phone Numbers
How phone numbers work in Netherlands & how locals say them
| Numeral | Cardinal | Ordinal |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | één | eerste |
| 2 | twee | tweede |
| 3 | drie | derde |
| 4 | vier | vierde |
| 5 | vijf | vijfde |
| 6 | zes | zesde |
| 7 | zeven | zevende |
| 8 | acht | achtste |
| 9 | negen | negende |
| 10 | tien | tiende |
| 11 | elf | elfde |
| 12 | twaalf | twaalfde |
| 13 | dertien | dertiende |
| 14 | veertien | veertiende |
| 15 | vijftien | vijftiende |
| 16 | zestien | zestiende |
| 17 | zeventien | zeventiende |
| 18 | achttien | achttiende |
| 19 | negentien | negentiende |
| 20 | twintig | twintigste |
| 21 | eenentwintig | |
| 22 | tweeëntwintig | |
| 23 | drieëntwintig4 | |
| 24 | vierentwintig | |
| 25 | vijfentwintig | |
| 26 | zesentwintig | |
| 27 | zevenentwintig | |
| 28 | achtentwintig | |
| 29 | negenentwintig | |
| 30 | dertig | |
| 40 | veertig | |
| 50 | vijftig | |
| 60 | zestig | |
| 70 | zeventig | |
| 80 | tachtig | |
| 90 | negentig | |
| 100 | honderd | |
| 1,000 | duizend | |
| 10,000 | tienduizend | |
| 100,000 | honderdduizend | |
| 1,000,000 | (een) miljoen | |
| 10^9 | (een) miljard | |
| 10^12 | (een) biljoen | |
| 10^15 | (een) biljard | |
| 10^18 | (een) triljoen | |
| 10^21 | (een) triljard |
Number data and information courtesy of Omniglot.
What Makes Dutch Numbers Challenging
The ones-before-tens inversion is the core challenge: hearing "vierentachtig" you must recognize it as 84, not 48. Dutch phone numbers are dictated in pairs after the 06 prefix, so you hear four two-digit numbers in rapid succession, each with inverted digits. The compound words are long — achtenzeventig (78) is five syllables — and can blur together at conversational speed. The similar sounds of twee (2), drie (3), and vier (4) add difficulty in noisy settings.
Tips for Learning Dutch Numbers
Drill two-digit numbers (20-99) until recognition is automatic — this is the key to handling Dutch phone numbers. Practice writing down pairs as you hear them. Remember that the first number word you hear in a compound number is the ones digit. Use Dutch news or podcasts to get your ear attuned to the rhythm. Most Dutch people speak excellent English, so you can always ask them to switch if needed.
Practice Dutch Numbers
Reading about numbers is one thing — understanding them spoken at natural speed is another. Test your Dutch number skills with our free listening game.
Play the Number Game