Numbers are said differently depending on what they're counting. This page covers four everyday situations: years, centuries and historical eras, phone numbers, and addresses.
Saying years
Most 4-digit years are split into two pairs of two digits — NOT read as one big number.
| Year | How to say it |
|---|---|
| 1984 | nineteen eighty-four |
| 1900 | nineteen hundred |
| 1800s (a whole century-decade) | the eighteen hundreds |
| 2000 | two thousand |
| 2005 | two thousand and five / twenty oh-five |
| 2015 | twenty fifteen |
| 2024 | twenty twenty-four |
| 500 | five hundred |
2001–2009 has two options:
years in this range can be said either way — 2005 = "two thousand and five" OR "twenty oh-five", 2009 = "two thousand and nine" OR "twenty oh-nine". (2000 itself is just "two thousand" — nobody says "twenty oh-oh".) From 2010 onwards, "twenty-X" is the standard, natural way (twenty twenty-four) — "two thousand twenty-four" sounds unusual to native ears.
Decades
the 1980s
the nineteen-eighties
She grew up in the 1980s.
the 1990s
the nineteen-nineties
This song is from the 1990s.
the 2000s
the two-thousands
Smartphones appeared in the 2000s.
the 2020s
the twenty-twenties
We are living in the 2020s.
Centuries & millennia
A century is named one number HIGHER than its years' first two digits — this trips up a lot of learners.
| Years | Century |
|---|---|
| 1701–1800 | the 18th century (eighteenth) |
| 1801–1900 | the 19th century (nineteenth) |
| 1901–2000 | the 20th century (twentieth) |
| 2001–2100 | the 21st century (twenty-first) |
A millennium is 1,000 years: 2001–3000 is the third millennium.
Historical eras & ages
| Era | IPA | Approximate period | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| the Stone Age | /ðə stəʊn eɪdʒ/ | up to c. 3000 BC | Early humans made tools in the Stone Age. |
| the Bronze Age | /ðə brɒnz eɪdʒ/ | c. 3000–1200 BC | Bronze tools and weapons appeared in the Bronze Age. |
| the Iron Age | /ði ˈaɪ.ən eɪdʒ/ | c. 1200–550 BC | Iron replaced bronze during the Iron Age. |
| ancient times / antiquity | /ˈeɪn.ʃənt taɪmz/ /ænˈtɪk.wɪ.ti/ | c. 800 BC – 500 AD | Ancient Greece and Rome shaped Western culture. |
| the Middle Ages / medieval times | /ðə ˈmɪd.əl ˈeɪ.dʒɪz/ /ˌmed.iˈiː.vəl taɪmz/ | 5th–15th century | Knights and castles were common in the Middle Ages. |
| the Renaissance | /ðə rɪˈneɪ.səns/ | 14th–17th century | Art and science flourished during the Renaissance. |
| the Victorian era | /ðə vɪkˈtɔː.ri.ən ˈɪə.rə/ | 1837–1901 | Many factories were built in the Victorian era. |
| the Industrial Revolution | /ði ɪnˈdʌs.tri.əl ˌrev.əˈluː.ʃən/ | 18th–19th century | Machines changed how people worked in the Industrial Revolution. |
| the modern era | /ðə ˈmɒd.ən ˈɪə.rə/ | 20th century – now | Computers define the modern era. |
AD, BC, CE & BCE
| Abbreviation | Stands for | How to say it | Word order |
|---|---|---|---|
| AD | Anno Domini (Latin for "in the year of the Lord") | /ˌeɪ ˈdiː/ — say each letter, "AY-DEE" | Before the number: AD 410 |
| BC | Before Christ | /ˌbiː ˈsiː/ — "BEE-SEE" | After the number: 410 BC |
| CE | Common Era | /ˌsiː ˈiː/ — "SEE-EE" | After the number: 2024 CE |
| BCE | Before Common Era | /ˌbiː siː ˈiː/ — "BEE-SEE-EE" | After the number: 410 BCE |
CE / BCE — the neutral option:
CE and BCE mark the exact same dates as AD and BC, but without a religious reference — they're the standard choice in modern academic, scientific and international writing.
Phone numbers
Phone numbers are read digit by digit, never as one big number.
| Digit / pattern | How to say it |
|---|---|
| 0 | oh (everyday) or zero (more formal/precise) |
| Two same digits in a row (e.g. 77) | double seven (common in British English) |
| 020 7946 0958 | oh two oh, seven nine four six, oh nine five eight |
| (555) 123-4567 | five five five, one two three, four five six seven |
| 007 | double-oh-seven |
Addresses
In English, the house/building number comes first, then the street name — the opposite order from many other languages.
| Part | Example |
|---|---|
| Number + street | 42 Oak Street (not "Oak Street 42") |
| Floor / apartment | Apartment 3B, 42 Oak Street / Flat 3, 42 Oak Street (UK) |
| Postcode / zip code | SW1A 1AA → "S W one A, one A A" (letters and numbers, one at a time) |
| Full spoken address | "I live at forty-two Oak Street, apartment three B." |
Remember — "0" is said "oh" in:
years (1905 = nineteen oh five), phone numbers (020... = oh two oh...), addresses/postcodes, clock times (9:05 = nine oh five), and sports scores (2-0 = two-oh). "Zero" is the more formal/precise alternative in all of these.
Exercise
Answer each question.
1.1995 =
2.2022 =
3.The years 1801-1900 are called the ___ century. (write the number + "th"/"st"/"nd")
4. Which is correct?
5. What does BC stand for?
6. Which address is written correctly in English?