Master English Numbers

English numbers are mostly regular, but "eleven" and "twelve" stand out as oddities. They come from Old English words meaning "one left over" and "two left over" (after ten), rather than following the "-teen" pattern. These irregular forms survived because they were among the most frequently used words in daily life. English ordinals are also quirky — "first," "second," and "third" bear no resemblance to their cardinal counterparts.

Watch the videos below, then download the Foreign Numbers app and practice what you've learned!

Below are the cardinal and ordinal numbers in English:

Numeral	Cardinal	Ordinal
0	zero	zeroth
1	one	first
2	two	second
3	three	third
4	four	fourth
5	five	fifth
6	six	sixth
7	seven	seventh
8	eight	eighth
9	nine	ninth
10	ten	tenth
11	eleven	eleventh
12	twelve	twelfth
13	thirteen	thirteenth
14	fourteen	fourteenth
15	fifteen	fifteenth
16	sixteen	sixteenth
17	seventeen	seventeenth
18	eighteen	eighteenth
19	nineteen	nineteenth
20	twenty	twentieth
21	twenty-one	twenty-first
30	thirty	thirtieth
40	forty	fortieth
50	fifty	fiftieth
60	sixty	sixtieth
70	seventy	seventieth
80	eighty	eightieth
90	ninety	ninetieth
100	one hundred	one hundredth
1000	one thousand	one thousandth
1000000	one million	one millionth
1000000000	one billion	one billionth

Number data and information courtesy of Omniglot.

What Makes English Numbers Challenging

English numbers seem simple but have hidden traps for learners. The teens (13-19) and tens (30-90) sound dangerously similar: "thirteen" vs "thirty," "fourteen" vs "forty." The stress pattern is the only difference, and it is easily lost in noisy environments or phone calls. Ordinals are largely irregular for the first few (first, second, third) before becoming regular (-th). Large numbers use a different grouping than many other languages — billion means a thousand million, not a million million as in some European countries.

Tips for Learning English Numbers

Pay close attention to the stress difference between teens and tens: thirTEEN has stress on the second syllable, while THIRty stresses the first. Practice with phone numbers and addresses since these are the most common real-world encounters. Learn the irregular ordinals (first through twelfth) as a group. For large numbers, get comfortable with the thousand-million-billion progression.

Practice English Numbers

Reading about numbers is one thing — understanding them spoken at natural speed is another. Test your English number skills with our free listening game.

Play the Number Game