Ask a child in Class 1 to write 47 and the hand moves quickly. Ask for the number name of 47 and the pencil stops. This guide explains what a number name is, how to write one correctly, and where children most often slip, with tables you can keep beside the homework book.
The rules below work for Cambridge, IGCSE, CBSE and ICSE classrooms alike, and the section on lakh and crore covers the part most international guides leave out.
On This Page
- What is a number name?
- Number name, numeral and number word
- Number names 1 to 20
- Number names for tens
- How to write number names for any number
- Number names in the Indian system: lakh and crore
- Common mistakes
- Practice set with answers
- Frequently asked questions
What Is a Number Name?
A number name is a number written in words instead of digits. The number name of 7 is seven, the number name of 42 is forty-two, and the number name of 305 is three hundred five.
Every number has one numeral form and one number name. The value does not change; only the way we record it changes.
| Numeral | Number name |
|---|---|
| 3 | three |
| 19 | nineteen |
| 60 | sixty |
| 128 | one hundred twenty-eight |
| 2,500 | two thousand five hundred |
Children meet number names in the first year of school and keep using them for years afterwards, in word problems, in cheque writing, in measurement and in exam instructions. The Cambridge Primary Mathematics framework introduces reading and writing numbers in words from Stage 1, alongside counting and place value.
Number Name, Numeral and Number Word
These three terms get muddled in homework, so it helps to separate them.
| Term | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Numeral | The number written in digits | 56 |
| Number name | The number written in words | fifty-six |
| Number word | Another term for the same thing, used in some textbooks | fifty-six |
Number name and number word mean the same thing. Some books also say “numbers in words” or “word form”. If a question asks for the number name, the answer is always in letters, never in digits.
Number Names 1 to 20
The first twenty are learned by memory. There is no pattern to work out; the words simply have to be known.
| Numeral | Number name | Numeral | Number name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | one | 11 | eleven |
| 2 | two | 12 | twelve |
| 3 | three | 13 | thirteen |
| 4 | four | 14 | fourteen |
| 5 | five | 15 | fifteen |
| 6 | six | 16 | sixteen |
| 7 | seven | 17 | seventeen |
| 8 | eight | 18 | eighteen |
| 9 | nine | 19 | nineteen |
| 10 | ten | 20 | twenty |
Zero has a number name too: zero, sometimes written as nought in older British textbooks.
Number Names for Tens
Once the tens are known, everything up to ninety-nine follows a pattern.
| Numeral | Number name |
|---|---|
| 10 | ten |
| 20 | twenty |
| 30 | thirty |
| 40 | forty |
| 50 | fifty |
| 60 | sixty |
| 70 | seventy |
| 80 | eighty |
| 90 | ninety |
| 100 | one hundred |
Note forty, not fourty. That single missing “u” is the most common spelling error in the whole topic.
How to Write Number Names for Any Number
Two-Digit Numbers
Write the tens word, add a hyphen, then the ones word.
- 34 becomes thirty-four
- 57 becomes fifty-seven
- 88 becomes eighty-eight
- 91 becomes ninety-one
Multiples of ten need no hyphen: 70 is simply seventy.
Three-Digit Numbers
Write the hundreds, then the rest of the number.
- 205 becomes two hundred five
- 341 becomes three hundred forty-one
- 999 becomes nine hundred ninety-nine
In India and Britain, and is usually inserted before the last part: three hundred and forty-one. American textbooks drop it. Both are accepted in Indian schools, so the safest advice for a child is to follow whichever form the class teacher uses and stay consistent through the paper.
Four-Digit and Five-Digit Numbers
Read the thousands first, then the remainder.
- 1,000 becomes one thousand
- 3,072 becomes three thousand seventy-two
- 8,450 becomes eight thousand four hundred fifty
- 45,382 becomes forty-five thousand three hundred eighty-two
The word hundred and the word thousand never take an “s” when a number comes in front of them. It is four thousand, never four thousands.
The Three-Step Method
- Split the number into periods. Ones, thousands, lakhs, crores.
- Name each period from the left. Say the digits in that period, then say the period name.
- Skip any period that is all zeros. In 5,00,342 there is nothing to say for the ten-thousands, so it reads five lakh three hundred forty-two.
Number Names in the Indian System: Lakh and Crore
Above one thousand, India uses a different grouping from most of the world. In the Indian system, the first comma comes after three digits from the right, and every comma after that comes after two digits.
| Numeral (Indian) | Place value | Number name |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | thousand | one thousand |
| 10,000 | ten thousand | ten thousand |
| 1,00,000 | lakh | one lakh |
| 10,00,000 | ten lakh | ten lakh |
| 1,00,00,000 | crore | one crore |
| 10,00,00,000 | ten crore | ten crore |
Worked example. Take 56321871.
- Indian system: 5,63,21,871 is five crore sixty-three lakh twenty-one thousand eight hundred seventy-one
- International system: 56,321,871 is fifty-six million three hundred twenty-one thousand eight hundred seventy-one
Same number, two number names. One lakh equals one hundred thousand, and one crore equals ten million. Children in Indian schools need both, because bank forms and news reports use lakh and crore while science and international exams use million and billion.
| Indian system | International system |
|---|---|
| One lakh (1,00,000) | One hundred thousand (100,000) |
| Ten lakh (10,00,000) | One million (1,000,000) |
| One crore (1,00,00,000) | Ten million (10,000,000) |
| One hundred crore | One billion |
Common Mistakes Children Make With Number Names
Spelling forty as “fourty.” The number 4 is four and 14 is fourteen, but 40 is forty. There is no “u”.
Spelling ninety as “ninty.” The “e” from nine stays.
Forgetting the hyphen. Sixty five should be sixty-five. Hyphens are used for two-digit numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine.
Adding an “s” to hundred, thousand, lakh or crore after a number. Write three lakh, not three lakhs, when it is followed by more digits. Lakhs on its own, as in “lakhs of people”, is fine.
Misreading a zero period. In 4,00,208 the correct name is four lakh two hundred eight, but many children read the zeros as thousands and write four lakh two thousand eight. Splitting into periods first prevents this.
Confusing thirteen with thirty, fourteen with forty, and so on. Reading the number aloud slowly, stressing the ending, usually clears it.
Practice Set With Answers
Write the number name for each. Cover the answers first.
- 16
- 29
- 74
- 105
- 460
- 1,308
- 12,600
- 3,45,000
- 90,00,000
- 6,71,20,004
Answers
| # | Numeral | Number name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | sixteen |
| 2 | 29 | twenty-nine |
| 3 | 74 | seventy-four |
| 4 | 105 | one hundred five |
| 5 | 460 | four hundred sixty |
| 6 | 1,308 | one thousand three hundred eight |
| 7 | 12,600 | twelve thousand six hundred |
| 8 | 3,45,000 | three lakh forty-five thousand |
| 9 | 90,00,000 | ninety lakh |
| 10 | 6,71,20,004 | six crore seventy-one lakh twenty thousand four |
How Parents Can Help at Home
Number names stick faster through use than through repetition drills.
- Read prices aloud. Bills, petrol pumps and shop boards are full of four and five-digit numbers.
- Write the date in words. A daily habit that takes ten seconds.
- Use a place value chart. Once a child splits a number into periods, the words follow easily.
- Ask for the reverse too. Say a number name and ask the child to write the numeral. Reversing the task shows whether the understanding is real.
- Correct the spelling, not just the number. Forty, ninety and the hyphen are worth catching early.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a number name?
A number name is a number written in words rather than in digits. For example, the number name of 25 is twenty-five and the number name of 1,000 is one thousand. The value stays the same; only the form of writing changes.
What is a number name with an example?
If the numeral is 63, the number name is sixty-three. If the numeral is 4,500, the number name is four thousand five hundred. Questions asking for a number name always expect an answer in words.
What are number names 1 to 10?
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. These ten words are the base for almost every other number name in English.
Is a number name the same as a number word?
Yes. Number name, number word, numbers in words and word form all describe the same thing: a number written using letters instead of digits.
How do you write number names for large numbers?
Split the number into periods first. In the Indian system the periods are ones, thousands, lakhs and crores. Name each period from the left, and skip any period that contains only zeros.
Do number names use hyphens?
Yes, for two-digit numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine, as in forty-seven and eighty-two. Multiples of ten and the numbers one to twenty need no hyphen.
Should I write “three hundred and five” or “three hundred five”?
Both appear in textbooks. British and Indian usage generally keeps the and, while American usage drops it. Either is accepted in most Indian schools as long as the child is consistent.
What is the number name of 1,00,000?
One lakh in the Indian system, and one hundred thousand in the international system. Both refer to the same value.
Quick Recap
- A number name is a number written in words.
- Memorise one to twenty and the tens; everything else follows a pattern.
- Use hyphens from twenty-one to ninety-nine.
- Split large numbers into periods before writing the words.
- Learn both systems: lakh and crore for India, million and billion internationally.
- Watch the spelling of forty and ninety.
Number sense builds early, and the way a child is taught to read and write numbers in the first years shapes how confidently they handle place value later. At TISM, number work in the early years is hands-on before it becomes written, which is why children move from counting objects to writing number names without losing the meaning underneath. You can read more in our guides to the Cambridge curriculum in primary and early years and the IGCSE years.
For language work at the same stage, our guide to compound sentences and examples covers sentence structure in the same practical way.
Parents comparing options can start with our guides to the best schools in Mysore and choosing a preschool in Mysore.
Want to see how we teach early maths? Contact TISM Mysore to arrange a campus visit.
Further Reading
- Cambridge Primary programme, Cambridge Assessment International Education
- Forty, Cambridge Dictionary
About the Author
This guide was prepared by the primary mathematics faculty at The International School Mysore (TISM), a Cambridge curriculum school in Mysuru teaching children from early years through IGCSE. It reflects the number-name errors we correct most often in classwork and the methods our teachers use to fix them.