Numbers in Spanish: 0 to millions
Learn how to count in Spanish — every cardinal and ordinal number you need, with the patterns that trip beginners up: the one-word teens (16–19), the one-word twenties (21–29), the three-word thirties onwards, and the numbers that change ending to match the noun. Tap any speaker to hear the pronunciation.
The four rules that cover almost everything
- 16–19 and 21–29 are single words. dieciséis, diecisiete, veintidós, veintinueve — the old y is absorbed.
- From 31 up, use three words with y. treinta y uno, cuarenta y cinco, noventa y nueve. Never y after ciento or mil.
- Apocope before a masculine noun. uno → un, veintiuno → veintiún, primero → primer, tercero → tercer.
- Hundreds agree in gender. doscientas mujeres but doscientos hombres. Cien is exact; ciento starts a bigger number.
0–20: the ones you memorise
These are irregular and must be learned outright. 16–19 are already compounds written as one word.
- 0cero
- 1uno / un / unaun libro, una casa
- 2dos
- 3tres
- 4cuatro
- 5cinco
- 6seis
- 7siete
- 8ocho
- 9nueve
- 10diez
- 11once
- 12doce
- 13trece
- 14catorce
- 15quince
- 16dieciséisdiez + y + seis, written as one word
- 17diecisiete
- 18dieciocho
- 19diecinueve
- 20veinte
21–29 vs 31+: the switch point
The twenties are one word with an accent where needed; from thirty onwards you separate with y.
- 21veintiunoveintiún años, veintiuna casas
- 22veintidós
- 23veintitrés
- 24veinticuatro
- 25veinticinco
- 26veintiséis
- 27veintisiete
- 28veintiocho
- 29veintinueve
- 30treinta
- 31treinta y unofrom 31 up, always three words with y
- 45cuarenta y cinco
Tens: 10–90
Combine a ten with y plus a unit for everything in between.
- 10diez
- 20veinte
- 30treinta
- 40cuarenta
- 50cincuenta
- 60sesenta
- 70setenta
- 80ochenta
- 90noventa
Hundreds: 100–900
Three are irregular — quinientos, setecientos, novecientos. All agree in gender.
- 100ciencien exactly; ciento when followed by more
- 101ciento unono y after ciento
- 200doscientos / doscientasagrees: doscientas personas
- 300trescientos
- 400cuatrocientos
- 500quinientosirregular
- 600seiscientos
- 700setecientosirregular (not sietecientos)
- 800ochocientos
- 900novecientosirregular (not nuevecientos)
Thousands and millions
mil is invariable when counting; millón behaves like a noun and takes de before another noun.
- 1.000milnever 'un mil'
- 2.000dos milmil never becomes 'miles' when counting
- 1.000.000un millónun millón de euros — needs de
- 2.500.000dos millones y medio
Ordinals: 1st–10th
Ordinals agree in gender and number; primero and tercero drop the -o before a masculine singular noun.
- 1stprimero / primer / primerael primer día
- 2ndsegundo
- 3rdtercero / tercerel tercer piso
- 4thcuarto
- 5thquinto
- 6thsexto
- 7thséptimo
- 8thoctavo
- 9thnoveno
- 10thdécimo
How to count to 100 in Spanish
Once you know 0–15, the 16–29 compounds, and the tens (30, 40, 50…), every number to 100 is built the same way: ten + y + unit. For example:
- treinta y uno — 31 (three words with y)
- cuarenta y dos — 42
- noventa y nueve — 99
Remember the three exceptions: quinientos, setecientos, novecientos for 500, 700 and 900. And when counting exact 100, use cien; use ciento when another number follows (ciento uno).
Numbers in the wild
- Son las tres y veinticinco. — It's 3:25.
- Cuesta ciento cincuenta euros. — It costs 150 euros.
- Vivo en el tercer piso, puerta veintiuno. — I live on the third floor, door 21.
- Nací en mil novecientos noventa y ocho. — I was born in 1998 (years are read in full, no "and").
- Doscientas cincuenta personas. — 250 people (feminine agreement).
Note on punctuation: most Spanish-speaking countries use a comma for decimals and a period or thin space for thousands — 1.500,75.
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