French Numbers
Type any number (1–1,000,000) — get the French cardinal and ordinal form instantly.
Try a tricky number:
Number:
Cardinal (counting)
Ordinal (ranking)
Enter a number above to see its French translation and forms.
Essential French Numbers at a Glance
| Number | Cardinal | Ordinal | Why it's tricky |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | un / une | premier / première | Gender-sensitive: un (m), une (f) |
| 2 | deux | deuxième | — |
| 10 | dix | dixième | — |
| 20 | vingt | vingtième | Silent t in vingt |
| 21 | vingt et un | vingt et unième | Uses "et" only for 21, 31, 41, 51, 61 |
| 60 | soixante | soixantième | No "sixty" — borrowed from 6×10 |
| 70 | soixante-dix | soixante-dixième | "Sixty-ten" — not septante (except in Belgium/Switzerland) |
| 71 | soixante et onze | soixante et onzième | "Sixty and eleven" |
| 80 | quatre-vingts | quatre-vingtième | "Four-twenties" — unique vigesimal system |
| 90 | quatre-vingt-dix | quatre-vingt-dixième | "Four-twenties-ten" |
| 91 | quatre-vingt-onze | quatre-vingt-onzième | No hyphen before onze |
| 100 | cent | centième | cent has no s when followed by another number |
| 101 | cent un | cent unième | No "et" after cent |
| 200 | deux cents | deux centième | Plural s on cent only when it ends the number |
| 1000 | mille | millième | mille never takes an s (unlike cent) |
| 1 000 000 | un million | millionième | Million/milliard are nouns, take de before nouns |
Why French Numbers Are So Confusing
French numbers are infamous for their vigesimal system — a base-20 counting pattern inherited from the Celts. While English says "seventy", French says soixante-dix ("sixty-ten"). While English says "eighty", French says quatre-vingts ("four-twenties"). And "ninety" becomes quatre-vingt-dix ("four-twenties-ten"). No other major language does this.
To make things harder, Belgium, Switzerland, and parts of Africa use completely different words for 70, 80, and 90: septante (70), huitante/octante (80), nonante (90). If you learn standard French numbers and then visit Geneva, you'll be briefly confused.
Cardinal vs Ordinal Numbers
This tool gives you both forms for every number:
- Cardinal numbers are used for counting: un, deux, trois, quatre… ("one, two, three, four…")
- Ordinal numbers are used for ranking: premier, deuxième, troisième… ("first, second, third…"). Except for "first" (premier/première), ordinals are formed by adding -ième to the cardinal.
The Rules That Trip Everyone Up
The "et" rule
Use et (and) only for 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, and 71: vingt et un, trente et un… Never for 81 (quatre-vingt-un) or 91 (quatre-vingt-onze).
Plurals on cent
Cent takes an -s only when it ends the number: deux cents (200) but deux cent un (201). Mille never takes an -s.
Hyphens
Since 1990 spelling reforms, hyphens connect all compound numbers: vingt-deux, quatre-vingt-treize. Before 1990, hyphens only applied to numbers under 100.
Gender of "one"
The number 1 agrees in gender: un (m) vs une (f). This matters in compound numbers: vingt et un hommes, vingt et une femmes.
How to Use This Tool
Type any number from 0 to 1,000,000. The tool returns:
- The cardinal form (for counting and general use)
- The ordinal form (for ranking — 1st, 2nd, 3rd…)
- The feminine cardinal where different (e.g. une for 1)
- A pronunciation hint for the trickiest numbers
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does French say "sixty-ten" instead of "seventy"?
This is a legacy of the vigesimal (base-20) counting system used by ancient Gaulish/Celtic peoples before Latin arrived. French absorbed this pattern for 70–99. Standard French in France kept it, while Belgium and Switzerland replaced it with the more logical septante (70), nonante (90).
How do you form ordinal numbers in French?
For almost all numbers, add -ième to the cardinal: deux → deuxième, cent → centième. If the cardinal ends in a silent e, drop it first: quatre → quatrième. The only irregular ordinal is premier / première (1st), which has a special feminine form.
When does "cent" take an -s?
Cent is pluralized only when it is the final word in the number and is preceded by a multiplier: deux cents (200), trois cents (300). But: deux cent un (201) — no s because another number follows. Mille (1000) never takes an s, regardless of position.
What is the difference between "million" and "milliard"?
Un million = 1,000,000. Un milliard = 1,000,000,000 (what English calls "a billion"). French uses the long scale: a French billion = 1,000,000,000,000 (a trillion in English). For everyday use, million and milliard are the key ones. Unlike mille, million and milliard are nouns and take de before a following noun: un million de personnes.
Do French numbers change for feminine nouns?
Only the number 1 and its compounds change: un livre (m) vs une page (f); vingt et un élèves (m) vs vingt et une élèves (f). All other cardinal numbers are invariable. For ordinals, premier becomes première (1st feminine), but deuxième and above are the same for both genders.
When do you use "et" between numbers?
Et (and) is used only in the following combinations: 21 (vingt et un), 31, 41, 51, 61, and 71 (soixante et onze). It is never used with 81 (quatre-vingt-un), 91 (quatre-vingt-onze), 101, or any other number.
What is the new rule about hyphens in French numbers?
The 1990 French spelling reform simplified the rule: all compound numbers are now hyphenated. So deux-cent-quatre-vingt-dix-neuf is the modern spelling. Before 1990, hyphens were only used for numbers under 100 (e.g., vingt-deux but deux cents). Both spellings are accepted in practice.
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