Reading and writing numbers in words is a basic numeracy skill required in worded problems and financial contexts.
Place value columns:
| Millions | Hundred thousands | Ten thousands | Thousands | Hundreds | Tens | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 7 |
Written: two million, four hundred and thirty-one thousand and fifty-seven
Rules:
- Use "and" after hundreds: 305 → "three hundred and five"
- Hyphens for 21–99: 47 → "forty-seven"
- Don't write "and" between thousands and hundreds: 3400 → "three thousand four hundred" (no "and")
Decimals in words: $$3.75 \to \text{three point seven five}$$
Common number words to know:
- 1000 = one thousand
- 1 000 000 = one million
- 1 000 000 000 = one billion
Common error: writing "one hundred and fifty thousand" as the number 100,050,000 — always check place value.