Numbers in French
Type, See, and Hear Any Number

Type any number from 0 to 999,999,999,999. See it spelled in French, hear it spoken, and understand how it is constructed.

Updated June 2026

Enter a number (0 to 999,999,999,999):

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This converter uses the traditional spelling (vingt et un), the primary form in Larousse. The 1990 orthographic rectification also permits hyphenating every compound (vingt-et-un). Both spellings are correct.

Quick Reference: 0 to 20

Number	French	Audio
0	zéro
1	un
2	deux
3	trois
4	quatre
5	cinq
6	six
7	sept
8	huit
9	neuf
10	dix
11	onze
12	douze
13	treize
14	quatorze
15	quinze
16	seize
17	dix-sept
18	dix-huit
19	dix-neuf
20	vingt

See full 1-100 list with audio →Master the tricky 70-99 range →

Counting by Range

Per-range landing pages for the specific number spans learners search for: starter ranges, per-decile drills, and the cents-rule walkthrough.

1 to 10

1 to 20

1 to 30

1 to 50

1 to 1000

20 to 30

30 to 40

40 to 50

50 to 60

60 to 70

80 to 90

90 to 100

91 to 99 (hard)

100 to 1000

Pronunciation Deep-Dives

Silent letters in numbers

Liaison rules with numbers

Huit pronunciation

Un vs une (gender)

Ordinals by Range

Ordinals 1st to 10th

Ordinals 11th to 30th

Premier vs unieme

Numbers in Everyday Contexts

Temperature

Height and weight

Postal codes

Math operations

Negative numbers and zero

Featured Numbers

Deep-dive reference pages for the numbers learners ask about most: the famous forty-two, vigesimal edge cases, large round numbers, and current-year forms.

quarante-deux

answer to everything

vingt et un

et-un rule

soixante-dix

first vigesimal

quatre-vingts

plural-s rule

quatre-vingt-dix

nonante in BE/CH

quatre-vingt-dix-sept

classic hard number

100

cent

no article

1 000

mille

invariable

1 000 000

un million

takes "de"

2 026

deux mille vingt-six

current year

Numbers by Tens

Jump straight to any round number from twenty to one hundred, with its written form, pronunciation, and Belgian and Swiss variants where they differ.

20 in French: vingt

30 in French: trente

40 in French: quarante

50 in French: cinquante

60 in French: soixante

70 in French: soixante-dix

80 in French: quatre-vingts

90 in French: quatre-vingt-dix

100

100 in French: cent

Every Number With Its Own Page

The full index of single-number reference pages on this site. Each one carries the France spelling, IPA, audio, an arithmetic breakdown, the Belgian and Swiss forms where they differ, and real sentence examples.

Eleven to twenty-nine

The irregular teens and the first et-un joint.

Thirty to sixty-nine

The regular decades, where French behaves like English.

Seventy to ninety-nine

The vigesimal range, and where septante, huitante and nonante replace it.

Hundreds and thousands

Round hundreds, cent and mille agreement, and the numbers people read aloud from forms.

Years

Year forms, including the mille-versus-mil question and the hundreds reading.

Ten thousand and above

Large numbers, the million and milliard scale, and the long-scale billion.

Why Are French Numbers Different Above 69?

Everything is straightforward up to 69. Then French switches to a base-20 (vigesimal) system inherited from the ancient Gauls, who counted in groups of twenty rather than ten. The result: 70 becomes soixante-dix (sixty-ten), 80 becomes quatre-vingts (four-twenties), and 90 becomes quatre-vingt-dix (four-twenties-ten). You are literally doing mental arithmetic every time you hear a number above 69.

Belgium and Switzerland decided not to adopt these forms during France's 19th-century language standardisation, so they use the simpler septante (70), huitante (80 in some Swiss cantons), and nonante (90). The converter above lets you toggle between France and regional variants to see both forms side by side.

Full 70-99 breakdown with colour coding →Why does French count in twenties? →

Belgium and Switzerland Use Different Words

When France standardised its language in the 19th century, Belgium and Switzerland chose not to adopt the vigesimal forms. The result: their French is easier to count in for 70-99. Neither form is wrong, but knowing the difference matters depending on where you are.

FR France

70: soixante-dix, 80: quatre-vingts, 90: quatre-vingt-dix

BE Belgium

70: septante, 80: quatre-vingts, 90: nonante

CH Switzerland

70: septante, 80: huitante, 90: nonante

Full regional comparison: septante, huitante, nonante →What is septante? →What is huitante? →What is nonante? →What is octante? →

Using French Numbers in Real Life

Dates

lundi 17 avril 2026

How to write and say dates in French. Years, months, and the le premier rule for the first of the month.

Phone Numbers

zéro six, douze, trente-quatre...

French people read phone numbers in pairs of digits, not one by one. Here is how it works.

Prices

douze euros cinquante

Euros, cents, decimals with virgule, and large prices in spoken French.

Ordinals

premier, deuxième, troisième...

First, second, third in French with rules for the -ième suffix and special exceptions.

Practice and Test Yourself

Reading about French numbers is not the same as knowing them. Drill the tricky 70-99 range, take a quiz, or use spaced repetition flashcards to build lasting retention.

Drill the 70-99 Range Take the Quiz Flashcards (SRS)

Printable Charts and Free PDFs

For classrooms and self-study: download a ready-made French numbers 1-100 chart or a fill-in worksheet with answer key, or build your own sheet with the free worksheet generator. No signup, free for personal and classroom use.

French Numbers 1-100 Chart (PDF)

One-page A4 reference: every number from un to cent, print and laminate.

Download PDF ↓

Fill-in Worksheet (PDF)

Blank write-in column across the easy ranges and the tricky 70-99 zone, with a separate answer key.

Download worksheet ↓

Free Worksheet Generator

Build a custom sheet: pick the range, the exercise, septante or soixante-dix, and get an answer key. Plus the 1-100 chart, the 70-99 cheat sheet and an ordinals reference.

Open the free worksheet generator →

Learning French? These services can help. Plain reference links: we have no commercial relationship with any of them and earn nothing if you sign up.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does French say "quatre-vingt" instead of a word for 80?

French uses a base-20 (vigesimal) counting system inherited from the Celtic Gauls. Quatre-vingt literally means "four-twenties" (4 x 20 = 80). Most of Europe adopted a base-10 system from Latin, but France kept the Celtic forms for 70-99. Belgium and Switzerland use simpler forms: both say septante (70) and nonante (90), and parts of Switzerland (Vaud, Valais, Fribourg) say huitante for 80, though Belgium keeps quatre-vingts for 80 like France.

How do you say 70 in French?

In France, 70 is "soixante-dix" which literally means "sixty-ten" (60 + 10). In Belgium and parts of Switzerland, 70 is "septante" - a much more logical form. Both are correct French but soixante-dix is standard in France and Quebec.

How do you say 90 in French?

In France, 90 is "quatre-vingt-dix" meaning "four-twenties-ten" (4 x 20 + 10 = 90). In Belgium and Switzerland, 90 is "nonante" - again, the simpler regional form. These countries did not participate in the 19th-century French language standardisation that locked in the vigesimal forms.

Do Belgians and Swiss people say soixante-dix?

No. Belgian French uses septante (70), quatre-vingts (80, same as France), and nonante (90). Swiss French in Vaud, Valais, and Fribourg uses septante, huitante, and nonante. Geneva and Neuchâtel also say septante (70) and nonante (90), but use quatre-vingts (not huitante) for 80. If you say soixante-dix in Brussels, people understand but know you learned in France.

How do you count to 100 in French?

Start with 1-16, which are unique words. Then 17-19 follow the pattern dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf. Numbers 20-69 use a regular tens-plus-units pattern. Numbers 70-99 use the vigesimal quirk. See the full list on our 1-to-100 page.

Is there a French number converter tool?

Yes, this site is one. Use the converter at the top of this page to type any number from 0 to 999,999,999,999 and get the French spelling instantly. It handles all special cases including 80 (quatre-vingts with s), 81 (quatre-vingt-un without s), 200 (deux cents with s), and 201 (deux cent un without s). Toggle between France, Belgium, and Switzerland for regional variants.

See all 14 FAQs →

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