Number to Words Converter
Enter a number and this writes it out in words — in the international system and in the Indian one, so you can see where they part company.
In words
One million two hundred and thirty-four thousand five hundred and sixty-seven
- International system
- One million two hundred and thirty-four thousand five hundred and sixty-seven
- Indian system
- Twelve lakh thirty-four thousand five hundred and sixty-seven
- Digits
- 1,234,567
- Two systems are in use and they are both correct. The international one groups digits in threes — thousand, million, billion. The Indian one groups the first three and then in twos, which gives lakh at a hundred thousand and crore at ten million.
- They agree up to 99,999 and part company after that: 100,000 is one hundred thousand in one and one lakh in the other.
- In British usage "and" goes in before the tens and ones — one hundred and eighteen. American usage generally leaves it out.
About writing numbers in words
Writing a number out is mostly a matter of grouping. Say the digits in blocks, name each block, and the words assemble themselves. What differs between countries is how big the blocks are.
The international system groups in threes: thousand, million, billion, trillion. Read 1,234,567 as one million, two hundred and thirty-four thousand, five hundred and sixty-seven — which is exactly where the commas fall.
The Indian system groups the first three digits and then in twos, giving a name at a hundred thousand and again at ten million. The same number is twelve lakh, thirty-four thousand, five hundred and sixty-seven, and it is written 12,34,567 with the commas in different places. The two agree up to 99,999 and part company after that.
Neither system is more correct. Both are in daily use by hundreds of millions of people, and which one a piece of homework expects depends entirely on where it was set — so both are shown here.
What it works out
- Any whole number written out in words
- The international system: thousand, million, billion
- The Indian system: thousand, lakh, crore
- Negative numbers
The formula
Group the digits, name each group, and join them up
The international system splits 1,234,567 into 1 | 234 | 567 and names the groups from the left: one million, two hundred and thirty-four thousand, five hundred and sixty-seven.
The Indian system splits the same digits as 12 | 34 | 567 — three at the end, then twos — giving twelve lakh, thirty-four thousand, five hundred and sixty-seven. A lakh is a hundred thousand and a crore is a hundred lakh, or ten million.
Inside any group the rule is the same. Under twenty, each number has its own word. From twenty to ninety-nine, name the tens and hyphenate the ones — forty-two. Above that, name the hundreds and join the rest with "and": one hundred and eighteen.
That "and" is British usage. American usage generally drops it, so the same number is written one hundred eighteen. Both are understood everywhere; follow whichever your school does.
- Lakh
- One hundred thousand, written 1,00,000 in the Indian system.
- Crore
- Ten million, or a hundred lakh, written 1,00,00,000.
- and
- Goes in before the tens and ones in British usage, and is left out in American usage.
A worked example
The number 1,234,567 written out.
That works out to One million two hundred and thirty-four thousand five hundred and sixty-seven .
- International system
- One million two hundred and thirty-four thousand five hundred and sixty-seven
- Indian system
- Twelve lakh thirty-four thousand five hundred and sixty-seven
- Digits
- 1,234,567
Questions
How do you write 1234567 in words?
One million, two hundred and thirty-four thousand, five hundred and sixty-seven in the international system, or twelve lakh, thirty-four thousand, five hundred and sixty-seven in the Indian one.
What is a lakh?
One hundred thousand. It is written 1,00,000 in the Indian system, where the commas group the last three digits and then in twos.
What is a crore?
Ten million, which is a hundred lakh. Written 1,00,00,000.
Where do the two systems first differ?
At a hundred thousand. Below that they agree exactly; at 100,000 one says one hundred thousand and the other says one lakh.
Should I write "one hundred and eighteen" or "one hundred eighteen"?
Both are correct. Including "and" is British usage and leaving it out is American. Follow whichever your school or examiner uses.
When do numbers in words get hyphenated?
Between the tens and the ones, from twenty-one to ninety-nine. So forty-two and sixty-seven, but one hundred and two hundred with no hyphen.
How do I write a number on a cheque?
In words for the amount and figures in the box, matching exactly. Writing the words out is the check against the figures being altered, which is why both are asked for.
How is zero written?
Just "zero". It is the one number with no place value structure to spell out, and older texts sometimes use "nought" or "nil" instead.