Saying Numbers: US vs UK English

Understanding how numbers, decimals, percentages, and dates are spoken and written in English can vary between US and UK English. This guide will explain the differences and provide clear examples to help you master these conventions.

Saying Numbers

In US English, the number “0” is always pronounced as “zero.” However, in UK English, additional terms like “oh” or “nought” are common.

Examples

• 0: Zero (US), Oh or Nought (UK)
• 44: Four four (US), Forty-four or Double four (UK)
• 555: Five five five (US), Treble five, Triple five, or Five double five (UK)

Large Numbers

Both “one hundred” and “a hundred” are correct. However, words like “hundred,” “thousand,” and “million” do not take an “s” when indicating exact quantities.

Examples

• 100: One hundred or A hundred
• 1,000: One thousand or A thousand
• 1,000,000: One million or A million
• 1,200: One thousand, two hundred
• 1,300,000: One million, three hundred thousand

Note: In UK English, the word “and” is added before the last two numbers for figures over one hundred. In US English, this usage is less formal.

Examples

• 2,876: Two thousand, eight hundred and seventy-six (UK)
• 54,041: Fifty-four thousand and forty-one (UK)
• 100,922: One hundred thousand, nine hundred and twenty-two (UK)

Dates

Dates are expressed differently in US and UK English. In the US, dates are written as the month followed by the day, using cardinal numbers. In the UK, ordinal numbers are used, and the format is often “day-month-year.”

Examples

• May 18 (US): May the 18th (UK)
• The 18th of May (UK)

Fractions

Fractions are often written out as words, with the denominator expressed as an ordinal number.

Examples

• 1/4: A quarter
• 1/3: A third
• 1 ½: One and a half

Decimals

Decimals are spoken using the word “point,” and each digit after the decimal is said individually.

Examples

• 0.5: Point five, Zero point five, or Nought point five (UK)
• 3.97: Three point nine-seven

Percentages

The “%” symbol is spoken as “percent” in both US and UK English. In written UK English, you might also see “per cent.”

Examples

• 1%: One percent
• 99%: Ninety-nine percent
• 55.5%: Fifty-five point five percent

By understanding these distinctions, you’ll communicate numbers, decimals, percentages, and dates more effectively in both US and UK contexts!