How to use
- Type the number or amount. Commas, spaces and a leading dollar sign are fine.
- Read the number in words, written in the standard American style.
- For a check, use the Amount in words for a check line, which adds the cents as a fraction of 100 and the word "dollars".
- Press Copy next to the line you need and paste it into your document or banking form.
Why write numbers in words?
Numbers written in figures are easy to alter: a 1 becomes a 7, an extra zero slips in. That is why checks, contracts, invoices and legal documents often repeat the amount in words. Style guides also ask writers to spell out numbers in certain places, for example at the start of a sentence. Spelling large numbers correctly is fiddly, so this tool does it for you.
How the conversion works
The number is split into groups of three digits from the right. Each group is read as a number from one to nine hundred ninety-nine and followed by its scale word: thousand, million, billion, trillion and so on. Groups that are zero are skipped. For example, 123,456,000 becomes “one hundred twenty-three million four hundred fifty-six thousand”; the final group is zero, so nothing is added for it.
Inside each group, numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine that are not round tens are joined with a hyphen, and the word “and” is left out, following American style.
Writing a check
The check line uses the conventional format: dollars in words with a capital first letter, the word “and”, the cents as a fraction over 100, and the word “dollars” at the end. Even whole amounts show “00/100” so that nobody can add cents later. For example, $2,500 becomes “Two thousand five hundred and 00/100 dollars”.
Examples
- 7 → seven
- 42 → forty-two
- 1,000,001 → one million one
- 3,050.25 on a check → Three thousand fifty and 25/100 dollars
Common mistakes
Writing “forty” as “fourty” is the most frequent spelling error. Others include adding “and” in the middle of an American check amount, forgetting the hyphen in numbers such as “sixty-five”, and writing “one hundred thousand” as “one hundred thousands”. Scale words are never plural when they follow a number. Copying the result from this tool avoids all of these.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I write a check amount in words?
- Write the dollars in words, then "and", then the cents as a fraction over 100, then "dollars". For $1,234.50 that is "One thousand two hundred thirty-four and 50/100 dollars". Draw a line through the empty space after the words so nothing can be added.
- Should I write "and" after hundred?
- In American usage, "and" is reserved for the decimal point, so 115 is "one hundred fifteen". British English usually says "one hundred and fifteen". Both are understood; this tool follows the American convention because it is the standard for checks in the United States.
- When do I use hyphens?
- Hyphenate compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine, such as "forty-two" or "seventy-five". Do not hyphenate hundreds, thousands or larger scale words.
- How large a number can I convert?
- Up to 24 digits, which reaches the sextillions. That is far beyond any practical amount, but it is useful for checking large figures in scientific or financial writing.
- Can I enter decimals?
- Yes, up to two decimal places, which are treated as cents. More decimal places are not accepted because checks and invoices only go down to cents.
- Is my number sent anywhere?
- No. The conversion happens in your browser.