Ordinal numbers tell the position of something in a list, such as first, second and third. Cardinal numbers tell how many, such as one, two and three. This page shows how to write ordinal numbers in words and in short form, with a full chart from 1 to 100.
Cardinal and ordinal numbers
A cardinal number answers "how many". An ordinal number answers "which one" or "in what place".
| Cardinal | Ordinal | Short form |
|---|---|---|
| one | first | 1st |
| two | second | 2nd |
| three | third | 3rd |
| four | fourth | 4th |
| five | fifth | 5th |
| ten | tenth | 10th |
| twenty-one | twenty-first | 21st |
| one hundred | one hundredth | 100th |
For example, "I have three books" uses a cardinal number. "I came third in the race" uses an ordinal number.
Ordinal numbers 1 to 100 chart
- 1stfirst
- 2ndsecond
- 3rdthird
- 4thfourth
- 5thfifth
- 6thsixth
- 7thseventh
- 8theighth
- 9thninth
- 10thtenth
- 11theleventh
- 12thtwelfth
- 13ththirteenth
- 14thfourteenth
- 15thfifteenth
- 16thsixteenth
- 17thseventeenth
- 18theighteenth
- 19thnineteenth
- 20thtwentieth
- 21sttwenty-first
- 22ndtwenty-second
- 23rdtwenty-third
- 24thtwenty-fourth
- 25thtwenty-fifth
- 26thtwenty-sixth
- 27thtwenty-seventh
- 28thtwenty-eighth
- 29thtwenty-ninth
- 30ththirtieth
- 31stthirty-first
- 32ndthirty-second
- 33rdthirty-third
- 34ththirty-fourth
- 35ththirty-fifth
- 36ththirty-sixth
- 37ththirty-seventh
- 38ththirty-eighth
- 39ththirty-ninth
- 40thfortieth
- 41stforty-first
- 42ndforty-second
- 43rdforty-third
- 44thforty-fourth
- 45thforty-fifth
- 46thforty-sixth
- 47thforty-seventh
- 48thforty-eighth
- 49thforty-ninth
- 50thfiftieth
- 51stfifty-first
- 52ndfifty-second
- 53rdfifty-third
- 54thfifty-fourth
- 55thfifty-fifth
- 56thfifty-sixth
- 57thfifty-seventh
- 58thfifty-eighth
- 59thfifty-ninth
- 60thsixtieth
- 61stsixty-first
- 62ndsixty-second
- 63rdsixty-third
- 64thsixty-fourth
- 65thsixty-fifth
- 66thsixty-sixth
- 67thsixty-seventh
- 68thsixty-eighth
- 69thsixty-ninth
- 70thseventieth
- 71stseventy-first
- 72ndseventy-second
- 73rdseventy-third
- 74thseventy-fourth
- 75thseventy-fifth
- 76thseventy-sixth
- 77thseventy-seventh
- 78thseventy-eighth
- 79thseventy-ninth
- 80theightieth
- 81steighty-first
- 82ndeighty-second
- 83rdeighty-third
- 84theighty-fourth
- 85theighty-fifth
- 86theighty-sixth
- 87theighty-seventh
- 88theighty-eighth
- 89theighty-ninth
- 90thninetieth
- 91stninety-first
- 92ndninety-second
- 93rdninety-third
- 94thninety-fourth
- 95thninety-fifth
- 96thninety-sixth
- 97thninety-seventh
- 98thninety-eighth
- 99thninety-ninth
- 100thone hundredth
Rules for writing ordinal numbers in words
Most ordinals are made by adding "th" to the cardinal word. A few change their spelling.
- Special words: one becomes first, two becomes second, and three becomes third.
- Spelling changes: five becomes fifth, eight becomes eighth, nine becomes ninth, and twelve becomes twelfth.
- Tens ending in "y": change "y" to "ieth". Twenty becomes twentieth, forty becomes fortieth, and ninety becomes ninetieth.
- All others: just add "th". Four becomes fourth, eleven becomes eleventh, and one hundred becomes one hundredth.
Ordinals for bigger numbers
For a number with more than one word, only the last word changes. The rest stay as normal cardinal words.
- 21st = twenty-first
- 45th = forty-fifth
- 99th = ninety-ninth
- 101st = one hundred first
- 250th = two hundred fiftieth
- 1000th = one thousandth
Short forms: st, nd, rd and th
In short form, write the digits and add two letters from the last word.
- Numbers ending in 1 take "st": 1st, 21st, 31st.
- Numbers ending in 2 take "nd": 2nd, 22nd, 52nd.
- Numbers ending in 3 take "rd": 3rd, 23rd, 83rd.
- All others take "th": 4th, 15th, 60th.
Watch out for 11, 12 and 13. They always take "th": 11th, 12th, 13th, and also 111th, 112th and 113th. This is because their words are eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth, not "first", "second" or "third".
Where we use ordinal numbers
- Dates: the 15th of August is read as "the fifteenth of August".
- Ranks: first prize, second place.
- Classes and floors: fifth standard, third floor.
- Birthdays: a tenth birthday, a fiftieth anniversary.
- Kings and events: these often use Roman numerals, such as George V, read as George the Fifth.
Common mistakes with ordinal numbers
- Writing "nineth". The correct word is ninth. The "e" from nine is dropped.
- Writing "twelveth". The correct word is twelfth.
- Writing "fivth" or "fiveth". The correct word is fifth.
- Writing "eightth". The correct word is eighth, with only one "h" at the end.
- Writing "twentyth". Tens change "y" to "ie", so it is twentieth.
- Changing every word. In forty-fifth, only the last word changes. "Fortieth-fifth" is wrong.
Practice: write these in words
Try these on your own, then check the answers: 7th, 12th, 30th, 42nd, 63rd and 100th.
Answers: seventh, twelfth, thirtieth, forty-second, sixty-third and one hundredth.
A good habit is to first write the cardinal word, then change only the last part. For 63rd, write sixty-three, then change three to third.
Ordinal numbers in Hindi
Hindi also has ordinal words: पहला (first), दूसरा (second), तीसरा (third), चौथा (fourth), पाँचवाँ (fifth) and छठा (sixth). From the seventh onward, most are made by adding "वाँ" to the number, like सातवाँ (seventh) and दसवाँ (tenth). For Hindi counting, see Hindi ginti.
To spell the cardinal numbers first, use our 1 to 100 in words chart or the number in words converter.
Questions people ask
What are ordinal numbers?
Ordinal numbers show position or order, such as first, second and third. Cardinal numbers show how many, such as one, two and three.
How do you write 21st in words?
21st is written as twenty-first. Only the last word changes, so twenty-one becomes twenty-first.
Why is it 11th and not 11st?
Because 11 is read as eleventh, which ends in "th". The same goes for 12th (twelfth) and 13th (thirteenth).
What is the spelling of 9th and 12th in words?
9th is ninth, with no "e" after the "n". 12th is twelfth, where the "ve" changes to "f".
Ordinal numbers Hindi mein kya kehte hain?
Hindi mein ordinal numbers ko क्रमसूचक संख्या kehte hain. Jaise पहला, दूसरा, तीसरा, चौथा aur पाँचवाँ. Saat se aage zyada tar number ke saath "वाँ" lagta hai.