Numbers in Spanish



Learn numbers in Spanish

Knowing numbers in Spanish is probably one of the most useful things you can learn to say, write and understand in Spanish. Learning to count in Spanish may appeal to you just as a simple curiosity or be something you really need. Perhaps you have planned a trip to a country where Spanish is the most widely spoken language, and you want to be able to shop and even bargain with a good knowledge of numbers in Spanish.

It's also useful for guiding you through street numbers. You'll be able to better understand the directions to places and everything expressed in numbers, such as the times when public transportation leaves. Can you think of more reasons to learn numbers in Spanish?

Spanish (español, also known as Castilian, or castellano) is a romance language (more specifically in the Ibero-Romance group) from the Indo-European family. Official language in 21 countries, including Spain, Mexico, Colombia and Argentine, it counts about 330 million speakers (of which 40 million in Spain alone).

List of numbers in Spanish

Here is a list of numbers in Spanish. We have made for you a list with all the numbers in Spanish from 1 to 20. We have also included the tens up to the number 100, so that you know how to count up to 100 in Spanish. We also close the list by showing you what the number 1000 looks like in Spanish.

  • 1) uno
  • 2) dos
  • 3) tres
  • 4) cuatro
  • 5) cinco
  • 6) seis
  • 7) siete
  • 8) ocho
  • 9) nueve
  • 10) diez
  • 11) once
  • 12) doce
  • 13) trece
  • 14) catorce
  • 15) quince
  • 16) dieciséis
  • 17) diecisiete
  • 18) dieciocho
  • 19) diecinueve
  • 20) veinte
  • 30) treinta
  • 40) cuarenta
  • 50) cincuenta
  • 60) sesenta
  • 70) setenta
  • 80) ochenta
  • 90) noventa
  • 100) cien
  • 1,000) mil
  • one million) un millón
  • one billion) mil millones
  • one trillion) un billón

Numbers in Spanish: Spanish numbering rules

Each culture has specific peculiarities that are expressed in its language and its way of counting. The Spanish is no exception. If you want to learn numbers in Spanish you will have to learn a series of rules that we will explain below. If you apply these rules you will soon find that you will be able to count in Spanish with ease.

The way numbers are formed in Spanish is easy to understand if you follow the rules explained here. Surprise everyone by counting in Spanish. Also, learning how to number in Spanish yourself from these simple rules is very beneficial for your brain, as it forces it to work and stay in shape. Working with numbers and a foreign language like Spanish at the same time is one of the best ways to train our little gray cells, so let's see what rules you need to apply to number in Spanish

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  • Digits and numbers from zero to fifteen are specific words, namely cero [0], uno [1] (which is apocoped in un before a vowel, and has a feminine form: una), dos [2], tres [3], cuatro [4], cinco [5], seis [6], siete [7], ocho [8], nueve [9], diez [10], once [11], doce [12], trece [13], catorce [14], quince [15]. Sixteen to twenty-nine are regular numbers, i.e. named after the ten (or the twenty) and the digit. Diez y seis [10 and 6] is phonetically shortened with an apocope as dieciséis. The same applies up to twenty-nine: diecisiete [10 and 7], dieciocho [10 and 8]… veintinueve [20 and 9].
  • The tens have specific names based on their multiplier digit root except for ten and twenty: diez [10], veinte [20], treinta [30], cuarenta [40], cincuenta [50], sesenta [60], setenta [70], ochenta [80], and noventa [90].
  • The same applies for the hundreds where one word is created by removing the space between the multiplier and the hundred word: cien [100] (plural cientos), doscientos [200], trescientos [300], cuatrocientos [400], quinientos [500], seiscientos [600], setecientos [700], ochocientos [800], and novecientos [900].
  • Tens and units are linked with y (and), as in treinta y cinco [35].
  • The word for thousand is mil. Thousands are formed by stating the multiplier digit before it, except for one thousand itself: mil [1,000], dos mil [2,000], tres mil [3,000], cuatro mil [4,000], cinco mil [5,000]…
  • The Spanish language uses the long scale system in which we alternate between a scale word and its thousand. Thus, we have millón (106, million), mil millones (109, billion), billón (1012, trillion), mil billones (1015, quadrillion), trillón (1018, quintillion), mil trillones (1021, sextillion)… The only (local) exception to this rule is the Spanish spoken in Puerto Rico where the short scale is in use. In Puerto Rico, un billón is 109 (equivalent to the US billion).
  • Learn the most useful words and phrases first so you can start speaking Spanish fast with MOSALingua
  • Numbers in different languages