18 in French
dix-huit
Spellings verified June 2026 · page updated 2 October 2026
Age of majority in France
“Eighteen in French” is dix-huit, the number 18. Hear it spoken below.
NUMERAL
18
FRENCH
dix-huit
IPA
/diz.ɥit/
Ordinal form
Ranking things rather than counting them: 18 becomes dix-huitième, written 18e in figures.
MASCULINE
dix-huitième
18e
FEMININE
dix-huitième
18e (same word as the masculine)
French writes the abbreviation with a plain e, never ème: 18e. The Académie française allows two irregular pairs: premier and première abbreviate 1er and 1re, and second and seconde abbreviate 2d and 2de. Full rules on the ordinal numbers reference.
Counting around 18
Real sentence examples
“J'ai dix-huit ans aujourd'hui.”
“La majorité en France est fixée à dix-huit ans depuis mille neuf cent soixante-quatorze.”
“Le bus dix-huit dessert le quartier nord.”
Pronunciation and morphology notes
Dix-huit shows the liaison /diz/ from dix into the h-aspirate-blocked huit. Compare with the lonely huit /ɥit/. The h-aspirate prevents the usual /z/ glide from dix.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say eighteen (18) in French?
Eighteen in French is "dix-huit" (the number 18).
How is dix-huit (18) pronounced in French?
In the International Phonetic Alphabet, "dix-huit" is transcribed /diz.ɥit/. Use the audio button on this page to hear the standard French pronunciation.
What is the ordinal form of 18 in French?
The ordinal for 18 is "dix-huitième", abbreviated 18e. The form is the same in the masculine and the feminine.
How is 18 used in a French sentence?
A natural example is: "J'ai dix-huit ans aujourd'hui."
Related numbers
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