70 in French
soixante-dix
Spellings verified June 2026 · page updated 2 October 2026
Sixty-ten. The first vigesimal form.
“Seventy in French” is soixante-dix, the number 70. Hear it spoken below.
NUMERAL
70
FRENCH
soixante-dix
IPA
/swa.sɑ̃t.dis/
Breakdown
Regional variants
FR France
soixante-dix
BE Belgium
septante
CH Switzerland
septante
Ordinal form
Ranking things rather than counting them: 70 becomes soixante-dixième, written 70e in figures.
MASCULINE
soixante-dixième
70e
FEMININE
soixante-dixième
70e (same word as the masculine)
BELGIUM
septantième
SWITZERLAND
septantième
French writes the abbreviation with a plain e, never ème: 70e. 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 70
Real sentence examples
“Mon grand-père a soixante-dix ans.”
“La page soixante-dix du livre.”
“En Belgique, on dit septante au lieu de soixante-dix.”
Pronunciation and morphology notes
Soixante-dix literally means "sixty-ten" (60 + 10). It is the first number in standard French where the vigesimal-leaning arithmetic begins. Belgium and Swiss-cantonal French use "septante" (a Latin-derived base-10 form).
Frequently asked questions
How do you say seventy (70) in French?
Seventy in French is "soixante-dix" (the number 70). It is built as 60 + 10 = 70.
How is soixante-dix (70) pronounced in French?
In the International Phonetic Alphabet, "soixante-dix" is transcribed /swa.sɑ̃t.dis/. Use the audio button on this page to hear the standard French pronunciation.
Is 70 said differently in Belgian or Swiss French?
Yes. In Metropolitan France 70 is "soixante-dix", but in Belgian French it is "septante", and in Swiss French it is "septante".
What is the ordinal form of 70 in French?
The ordinal for 70 is "soixante-dixième", abbreviated 70e. The form is the same in the masculine and the feminine. In Belgium it is "septantième", and in Switzerland it is "septantième".
How is 70 used in a French sentence?
A natural example is: "Mon grand-père a soixante-dix ans."
Related numbers
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