16 Ways to Read Numbers in English - Rules to Conquer 9.0 Listening

Certainly, if you want to achieve a high score in the Listening section of the IELTS and TOEIC exams, you must master the correct way to read numbers in English. However, for some, reading numbers in English can be quite a "nightmare." With the aim of helping you excel in your Listening tests, here are some fundamental rules for reading numbers in English. Let's look at these "must-know" rules with PREP!

I. How to Read Cardinal Numbers in English

Mastering how to read different types of numbers in English will help you conquer the IELTS and TOEIC Listening tests with high band scores. Let’s remember the following key concepts!

1. How to Read Numbers from 1 to 100 

For cardinal numbers, you need to memorize and keep in mind the following rules:

Some Notes When Reading Numbers from 1 to 100:

• The numbers 11 (eleven /əˈlev.ən/) and 12 (twelve /twelv/) have special pronunciations.

• Numbers consisting of tens with single units require a hyphen (“-”). For example, 45 is read as "forty-five" and not "forty five."

• The number 0 is read as zero /ˈzɪr.oʊ/.

2. How to Read Hundreds

"Hundred," pronounced /ˈhʌn.drəd/. The general principles for reading hundreds are as follows:

• Reading Hundreds: Read the hundreds as usual (one hundred, two hundred, three hundred...), then continue with the rest of the number. For example:

  • 125: one hundred twenty-five

  • 342: three hundred forty-two

  • 508: five hundred eight

• The word "and": It is commonly used to connect the hundreds to the tens and units. However, in American English, the word "and" is often omitted in some cases. For example:

  • 256: two hundred fifty-six (or two hundred and fifty-six)

  • 304: three hundred four (or three hundred and four)

  • 891: eight hundred ninety-one (or eight hundred and ninety-one)

Notes:

• If the tens or units part is 0, you can skip reading it. For example, 400 is read as "four hundred."

• Examples of Reading Hundreds in Different Situations:

• Phone number “555-1234”: five five five one two three four

• Price “$345”: three hundred forty-five dollars

• House number “123 Main Street”: one hundred twenty-three Main Street

3. How to Read Thousands

Principles:

• Read the thousands first: Read the thousands as you would read cardinal numbers, then add the word "thousand" /ˈθaʊ.zənd/. For example:

  • 10,000: ten thousand

  • 20,000: twenty thousand

• Continue with the rest: After reading the thousands, continue to read the hundreds, tens, and units. For example:

  • 1,234: one thousand two hundred thirty-four

  • 5,678: five thousand six hundred seventy-eight

Note: The word "and" is often used to connect the parts, but it is not mandatory. For example:

• 1,234 can be read as "one thousand two hundred and thirty-four."

• 5,713 can be read as "five thousand seven hundred and thirteen."

4. How to Read Millions

Principles

• Read the millions first: Read the millions as you would read cardinal numbers, then add the word "million" /ˈmɪl.jən/. For example:

  • 1,000,000: one million

  • 3,000,000: three million

• Continue with the rest: After reading the millions, you continue to read the thousands, hundreds, tens, and units. For example:

  • 2,345,678: two million three hundred forty-five thousand six hundred seventy-eight.

  • 7,903,713: seven million nine hundred three thousand seven hundred thirteen.

Note: The word "and" is often used to connect the parts, but it is not mandatory. For example:

• 5,679,245: five million six hundred and seventy-nine thousand two hundred and forty-five.

• 6,481,332: six million four hundred and eighty-one thousand three hundred and thirty-two.

II. How to Read Ordinal Numbers in English

Typically, to read ordinal numbers in English, you simply add the suffix -th to the end of the cardinal number. Note that you must pronounce the final sound th /θ/. For example: seventh, eleventh, twelfth, seventeenth, twentieth, one hundredth, one thousandth, one millionth.

Special Cases:

• Number 1: first

• Number 2: second

• Number 3: third

• Number 5: fifth

• Number 8: eighth

• Number 12: twelfth

• Cardinal numbers ending with the suffix “-ty” change to “-tieth” when in ordinal form: twenty → twentieth.

• Numbers ending in 1 (except 11): add "-st"

• Numbers ending in 2 (except 12): add "-nd"

• Numbers ending in 3 (except 13): add "-rd"

• All other numbers: add "-th"

For example: 

• 32nd: thirty-second

• 43rd: forty-third

• 100th: one hundredth

III. How to Read Dates in English

Typically, when writing dates, the British and Americans have different formats. However, when reading them, the pronunciations are quite similar. Pay attention to the order for reading and writing dates in British and American English:

To be specific:

IV. How to Read a Sequence of Numbers in English

When taking the IELTS Listening test, especially in Listening Part 1, you will frequently encounter conversations containing sequences of numbers such as phone numbers, bank card numbers, account numbers, etc. To listen and record the correct answers, be sure to master the following ways to read sequences of numbers:

How to Read a Sequence of Numbers in English:

• Read each number separately: Each digit in the sequence is read individually, as you would read cardinal numbers. For example: 987654: Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four.

• Use appropriate pauses: Between groups of numbers, you can take short pauses to make it easier to hear and write down. For example: 1234567890: One two three, four five six, seven eight nine zero (pause after each group of three numbers).

• Emphasize important numbers: Depending on the context, you can emphasize important numbers such as the first number, the last number, or special numbers (e.g., the number 0). For example: 0987 654 321: Zero nine eight seven, six five four, three two one. (Emphasize the first four numbers to distinguish the area code).

• Read adjacent numbers:

  • Two adjacent numbers are read as "double + the number." For example: 0988 654 321: Zero nine double eight, six five four, three two one.

  • Three adjacent numbers are read as "triple + the number." For example: 07888 654 321: Zero nine triple eight, six five four, three two one.

Notes on reading the number 0 in a sequence:

• Zero: This is the standard reading and is often used in formal situations or when emphasizing the number 0.

• Oh: This reading is commonly used in everyday conversations, phone numbers, or when reading consecutive numbers with many zeros. In the IELTS Listening test, when 0 appears at the beginning of a number sequence, it is often read as "oh."

V. How to Read Decimals in English

When reading decimal numbers in English, we commonly use the word "point" to separate the whole part from the decimal part.

General Reading Rules:

1. Read the whole part: Read the whole number as you normally would.

2. Read "point": Use the word "point" to indicate the decimal point.

3. Read the decimal part: Read each digit after the decimal point individually.

For example:

• 3.14: Three point one four.

• 2.75: two point seven five

• 4.6: four point six

Note: For currency, you need to clearly state the currency unit and separate the whole number part from the decimal part:

• $15.82: Fifteen dollars and eight-two (cents).

• €180.05: One hundred and Eighty euros and five (cents).

VI. How to Read Exponents in English

The rules for reading exponents are an important aspect of reading numbers in English that you should pay attention to. For exponents of 4 and higher, we read them using the structure:

Base number + to the power of + exponent

For example:

• 2^4: two to the power of four

• 5^8: five to the power of eight

For exponents of 2 and 3, we can use the shorthand terms "squared" (for exponent 2) and "cubed" (for exponent 3). Examples:

• 3^2: three squared

• 7^3: seven cubed

• 10^2: ten squared

VII. How to Read Fractions in English

For fractions where the numerator is less than 10 and the denominator is less than 100, we use cardinal numbers to read the numerator and ordinal numbers to read the denominator. If the numerator is greater than 1, we add "s" to the denominator.

• 1/3: one-third

• 1/2: one half

• 9/15: nine-fifteenths

• 2/5: two-fifths

• 2/9: five-ninths

For fractions where the numerator is greater than 10 or the denominator is greater than 100, we use cardinal numbers for both the numerator and the denominator, connecting the two with "over."

• 20/9: twenty over nine

• 21/135: twenty-one over thirty-five

• 2/134: two over one three four

Additionally, there are some special cases where a fraction has different ways of reading:

• 1/2: one half

• 1/4: one fourth = one quarter = a quarter

• 3/4: three fourths = three quarters

VIII. How to Read Mixed Numbers in English

Mixed numbers may not be commonly encountered in tests or everyday communication, but it is important to know how to read them in English. For mixed numbers, the whole number part is read as a cardinal number, followed by the fraction part using "and."

Notes on Special Cases:

IX. How to Read Negative Numbers in English

To read a negative number in English, we simply add the word "negative" /ˈneɡ.ə.t̬ɪv/ or "minus" /ˈmaɪ.nəs/ before the number. The rest of the number is read just like a cardinal number. For example

• -5: Negative five or Minus five

• -12: Negative twelve or Minus twelve

• -20.5: Negative twenty point five or Minus twenty point five

For example:

• The word "minus" can also be used to indicate a negative number, but "negative" is more commonly used in English.

• When reading large negative numbers, we typically read them in groups of three digits, just like we do with positive numbers.

  • -123,456 will be read as "negative one hundred twenty-three thousand, four hundred fifty-six."

  • -438,731 will be read as "negative four hundred thirty-eight thousand seven hundred thirty-one."

X. How to Read Measurements in English

XI. How to Read Money in English

To read an amount of money, for whole amounts, read it as you would a cardinal number, then add the name of the currency unit.

For example: 

• $100: one hundred dollars

• $250: two hundred and fifty dollars

If the amount of money is in decimal form, read it similarly to how you would read decimal numbers, then add the currency unit at the end.

For example: 

• $3.50: three dollars and fifty cents hoặc three dollars fifty

• €12.66: twelve euros and sixty-six cents hoặc twelve euros sixty-six

Note: Ordinary decimal numbers are not read in this way. These rules only apply to currency.

XII. How to Read Percentages in English

Reading percentages in English is quite simple; you just read the number as you normally would and then add the word "percent" /pɚˈsent/ at the end.

• 25%: twenty-five percent

• 50%: fifty percent

• 75%: seventy-five percent

XIII. Exercises on How to Read Numbers in English

Let’s practice with some exercises below to solidify your understanding of how to read numbers in English!

Answer key:

This article provides a complete guide on how to read numbers in English that you need to master. Practice with various listening exercises to remember the reading more effectively! Wishing you success in your self-study and achieving a high band score in the IELTS or TOEIC Listening tests.