How to use the Number to Words tool
- Type a numberEnter any number, with or without commas. Decimals and negative numbers work too.
- Choose the number systemInternational uses thousand, million and billion; Indian uses thousand, lakh and crore.
- Pick the outputPlain words, currency for cheques and invoices (dollars, rupees, euros, pounds), or ordinal words.
- Copy the resultChoose the letter case, add “and” or “only” if you need them, and click Copy.
Features
- Two number systemsSwitch between million/billion and lakh/crore with one click.
- Cheque writingConverts amounts like 1,250.50 into “one thousand two hundred fifty dollars and fifty cents only”.
- OrdinalsTurn numbers into ordinal words: 1 → first, 22 → twenty-second, 100 → one hundredth.
- Huge numbersHandles up to 66 digits, all the way to vigintillions, with exact integer math.
- US or UK styleLeave out “and” (US style) or include it (UK and Indian style): one hundred and five.
Writing numbers on cheques
Banks require the amount on a cheque to be written in words as well as figures, because words are much harder to alter. If the two don’t match, the amount in words usually takes priority. Write the words starting at the far left of the line, and finish with “only” so nothing can be added after it, for example: twelve lakh thirty-four thousand five hundred sixty-seven rupees and eighty-nine paise only.
International vs Indian number system
| Number | International | Indian |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | one thousand | one thousand |
| 1,00,000 / 100,000 | one hundred thousand | one lakh |
| 10,00,000 / 1,000,000 | one million | ten lakh |
| 1,00,00,000 / 10,000,000 | ten million | one crore |
| 1,00,00,00,000 / 1,000,000,000 | one billion | one hundred crore |
| 1,00,000 crore / 1,000,000,000,000 | one trillion | one lakh crore |
Notice that the comma positions differ too: the Indian system groups the first three digits, then every two digits (12,34,567), while the international system always groups by three (1,234,567).
Rules for writing numbers in words
- Hyphens: numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine are hyphenated (forty-two, seventy-five).
- “And”: British, Indian and Australian English say “one hundred and five”; American English usually says “one hundred five”.
- No plural scales: write “two million”, not “two millions”, and “five lakh”, not “five lakhs”, when a number comes before it.
- Decimals: say each digit after the point: 3.14 is “three point one four”.
- Style guides: many recommend spelling out numbers from one to nine (or one to one hundred) in running text, and always at the start of a sentence.
Short and long scales
English today uses the “short scale”, where a billion is a thousand million (109). Older British usage and many European languages use the “long scale”, where a billion is a million million (1012). This converter uses the modern short scale. For other conversions and calculations, see our Percentage Calculator and Unit Converter.