Number to Words Converter
Convert numbers to English words. Supports integers and decimals up to quadrillions. Useful for writing checks, legal documents, and accessibility.
one million, two hundred thirty-four thousand, five hundred sixty-seven
One million, two hundred thirty-four thousand, five hundred sixty-seven
About Number to Words Converter
Converting numbers to words is essential for writing checks (cheques), legal documents, invoices, and making numerical data accessible to screen readers. This converter handles integers from zero up to quadrillions (10¹⁵), negative numbers, and decimal values. Decimals are read digit by digit after the word "point" — for example, 3.14 becomes "three point one four". The output is provided in both lowercase and title case forms for flexibility.
Built and maintained by Meet Shah · Last updated
What this tool is used for
- Writing an amount in words on a cheque or a legal document.
- Producing a spelled-out figure for an accessible reading of a form.
- Cross-checking a numeral against its written form in a contract.
- Generating written amounts for a template or an invoice.
- Converting a figure for a context where numerals are not permitted.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How large a number can it spell?
- Arbitrarily large — parsing runs on BigInt, so a 30-digit number converts exactly rather than being rounded to a double first. Group names run thousand, million, billion, trillion, quadrillion.
- Which billion is meant?
- The short scale, where a billion is 10⁹ — standard in English today. The long scale, still used in much of continental Europe, makes a billion 10¹² and inserts "milliard" for 10⁹, so a translated financial document can be out by a factor of a thousand.
- Should there be an "and"?
- British usage writes "one hundred and one"; American usage drops the "and". On a cheque the convention is to write the words and then the pence as a fraction — "One hundred and one pounds and 50/100" — which is why the wording is not purely stylistic.
- Why is it needed on cheques and contracts?
- Because words cannot be altered by adding a digit. "1,000" becomes "10,000" with one stroke of a pen; "one thousand" does not. Where the two disagree on a negotiable instrument, most jurisdictions treat the written words as controlling.
- How are the teens handled?
- As their own list. English has irregular names from eleven to nineteen — nothing composes them from "one" and "ten" — so any correct implementation carries a hard-coded table for 0–19 and only becomes regular at twenty.
- How are decimals and currency amounts spelled?
- Usually as the whole part in words and the fraction as digits — "one hundred and twenty dollars and 50/100" on a cheque. Spelling the decimal digits individually is the alternative, and the convention is set by the document, not the number.
Common errors and gotchas
- Mixing the short and long scale, where a billion differs between conventions.
- Omitting the 'and' where the target convention requires it, which differs between British and American usage.
- Writing a decimal as a fraction of a unit incorrectly, where currency needs cents rather than tenths.
- Losing a hyphen in compound numbers, which matters in formal documents.
- Assuming a single correct form. Cheque conventions vary by country and by bank.