Miscellaneous Calculators
Numbers to Words Converter


Numbers to Words Converter

Convert numbers to words with our calculator. It accepts decimals and scientific notation and can display any U.S. dollar amount in words.

Result

Twelve thousands three hundred forty four

There was an error with your calculation.

Table of Contents

  1. How a Number to Text Converter Can Help Businesses and Amuse Deep Thinkers
  2. Simple, Fast, and Accurate
  3. Case Use: How a New Business Owner Could Use the Converter
  4. Helpful Tip
    1. Big Numbers in History
    2. System for writing large numbers
    3. Some examples of interesting names:
    4. Development of systems of notation of large numbers
    5. The American system (short scale)
    6. European system (long scale)

Numbers to Words Converter

How a Number to Text Converter Can Help Businesses and Amuse Deep Thinkers

A Number to Words Converter can be an amusing diversion to help people conceptualize huge or tiny amounts. However, it can also provide accuracy to businesses and financial institutions that need U.S. dollar amounts in writing. This article will discuss what numbers to words converters do, who might use them, and for what purposes.

This app converts decimal and scientific E-notation numbers into formally correct U.S. English. In addition, the calculator changes numbers to a U.S. dollar amount in words. Users can further specify whether they want dollar amounts to be formatted for a check. The number-to-word converter provides a flexible tool for users of all types to ensure they follow standard U.S. English numbering conventions.

Simple, Fast, and Accurate

The numbers to words converter is simple to use:

  • First, enter a number into the "Convert this Number" field.
  • Next, select whether you want Words, Currency, or Check Writing.
  • Then, use the drop-down menu to specify lowercase, all caps, title case, or sentence case. These options make it easy to cut and paste directly from the converter to another application of your choice.
  • Finally, click "Calculate."

People from English Learners to Business Owners Will Find It Useful

The numbers to words converter has a wide range of uses. For example, financial transactions require accuracy above all else. Whether someone is closing a multimillion-dollar deal with an important client or writing a personal check, spelled-out numbers demand concentration. This extra attention reduces the likelihood of careless errors. Furthermore, it is more challenging to alter dollar amounts when they are written in words.

Aside from economic contexts, English language learners can benefit from converting numbers to text. For example, countries worldwide have different numbering systems, and people who want to live or do business in the U.S. need to use the system there. Therefore, non-native English speakers can use this converter as a learning tool or proofread their numbers to ensure there are no mistakes.

In addition, students may use the numbers to words converter as a handy study tool.

Teenagers in many high school programs throughout the U.S. learn personal finance skills. They can use the converter's accurate rendering to check their work before submission or help prepare for a test.

Finally, the converter can provide entertainment and satisfy curiosity. For instance, when most people encounter very large or minimal numbers, they are unsure what words they represent or have trouble pronouncing and spelling them. Of course, some numbers are so complicated that pronouncing or spelling them would never be practical. Still, others require only one or two unique and interesting words.

Case Use: How a New Business Owner Could Use the Converter

Let's look at an example of how someone can convert numbers to words in a business setting. Suppose a non-native English speaker has immigrated to the United States and started a business.

Nonetheless, they must write a check for $14,273.38 for their first business expense. To ensure they write the check correctly, they will type 14,273.38 into the converter.

Then, they would select "Check Writing" and "Sentence Case" as options.

After clicking "Calculate," they would see their properly formatted answer: Fourteen thousand two hundred seventy-three and 38/100 dollars.

The final step would be to write the answer on the check-in ink, omitting the word "dollars" as it appears on American checks. Instead, they would follow the cent fraction with a dash that reaches the word "dollars," preventing anyone from easily tampering with the amount.

Helpful Tip

While the most practical application of this converter may be the currency, it also changes enormous and tiny numbers into words. In addition, you can enter numbers in the decimal format up to a limit of 90 characters. On the other hand, numbers in scientific E-notation must be within the range of 1e-90 to 1e+90.

Big Numbers in History

Big and small numbers have fascinated people for thousands of years. Archimedes, a third-century B.C. Greek scientist developed the system of numbers to calculate the number of grains of sand needed to fill the universe. Archimedes calculated that the Aristarchus universe (about 2 light years in diameter) if filled with sand, would contain 10⁶³ of grains of sand.

Some terms denoting large numbers, such as a million, a billion, and a trillion, have real economic meaning in different countries. The highest denomination banknote was the one sextillion Hungarian peng bill, printed in 1946. In 2009, Zimbabwe printed a Zimbabwean $100 trillion bill. Because of hyperinflation, it was only worth about $30.

The largest number in the world does not exist. Any large number can be constantly increased, multiplied, and raised to a degree, resulting in an even larger number.

Among the famous biggest numbers with their special names are TREE(3) number, SCG(13) number, Lowder number, Moser number, Skewes number, Rayo number, Graham number.

System for writing large numbers

It is inconvenient to write large numbers with many zeros. So, we use power abbreviations to write large numbers. Writing 10¹¹ means a number with 11 zeros, and writing 10⁵⁴ means a number with 54 zeros. These are the names of numbers with tens and hundreds of zeros.

Names of numbers that you can find in the school curriculum:

  • 1,000,000 - million (6 zeros)
  • 1,000,000,000 - billion (9 zeros)
  • 1,000,000,000,000 - trillion (12 zeros)
  • 1,000,000,000,000,000 - quadrillion (15 zeros)
  • 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 - quintillion (18 zeros)
  • 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 - sextillion (21 zeros)
  • 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 - septillion (24 zeros)
  • 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 - octillion (27 zeros)
  • 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 - nonillion (30 zeros)
  • 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 - decillion (33 zeros)

Some examples of interesting names:

10¹⁰⁰ - googol (100 zeros)

The name googol was created in 1920 by 9-year-old Milton Sirota, the nephew of American mathematician Edward Kasner. He may have used the name of his favorite comic book character, Barney Google, to name this enormous number. Other names for this number are ten duotrigintillions on the short American scale or ten thousand secdecillions on the long European scale. Then Kasner also invented the name of another giant number, the Googolplex. This is 10 raised to the power of 10 and raised to the power of 100 or \$10^{10^{100}}\$ .

10¹⁴⁰ - asamkhyeya or one hundred quinquadraguintillions

Asamkhyeya is a Sanskrit word that frequently appears in Buddhist texts. In Sanskrit, the term "asamkhyeya" literally means "innumerable" in the sense of "endless." It is also the title of the Hindu deities Vishnu and Shiva.

Development of systems of notation of large numbers

The way large numbers are named can be quite different depending on where you are.

In traditional British usage, known as the long scale, unique names were given to each power of one million. For instance, 1,000,000 was called "1 million," 1,000,000² was "1 billion," 1,000,000³ was "1 trillion," and so on. This system was influenced by French usage and has similarities to the system documented by a French mathematician Nicolas Chuquet.

In traditional American usage, which also drew from French usage but at a later time, as well as in Canada and modern British practice, a different system was employed. Here, fresh names are assigned for each power of one thousand, known as the short scale. For example, a billion is defined as 1,000 × 1,000², equal to 10⁹ or 1,000,000,000, and a trillion is 1,000 × 1,000³, equal to 10¹² or 1,000,000,000,000, and so forth.

This short-scale system was widely used in the financial world, largely due to the influence of the US dollar. Later this system was adopted for official United Nations documents.

In 1948, France, which originally popularized the short scale worldwide, reverted to using the long scale.

The American system (short scale)

In the American or short-scale system, all names of big numbers are constructed as follows: at the beginning, there is a Latin ordinal numeral, and the suffix "-illion" is added at the end. The exception is the name "million," which is the name of the number thousand (lat. mille) and the magnifying suffix "-illion." This is how we get the numbers: billion, trillion, quadrillion, quintillion, sextillion, etc.

The American system is used in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Greece, and Turkey.

European system (long scale)

The European, or long-scale naming system is the most common worldwide. The names of numbers in this system are constructed as follows: to the Latin numeral, they add a suffix "-illion". The name of the following number (1,000 times greater) is formed from the same Latin numeral but with the suffix "-illiard".

After a trillion in this system comes a trilliard, and only then a quadrillion, followed by a quadrilliard, etc. Countries using the long scale include most continental European countries and most French-, German-, Spanish-, and Portuguese-speaking countries (except Brazil).

Number American system European system
10² hundred hundred
10³ thousand thousand
10⁶ million million
10⁹ billion thousand million (milliard)
10¹² trillion billion
10¹⁵ quadrillion thousand billion (billiard)
10¹⁸ quintillion trillion
10²¹ sextillion thousand trillion (trilliard)
10²⁴ septillion quadrillion

Throughout history, people have come up with numbering systems that cover much larger amounts than we typically require daily. The number-to-word converter bridges the gap between theory and daily practice. It can be a helpful tool for non-specialists, scientists, and business owners.