99 in French
quatre-vingt-dix-neuf
Spellings verified June 2026 · page updated 2 October 2026
The last vigesimal compound
“Ninety-nine in French” is quatre-vingt-dix-neuf, the number 99. Hear it spoken below.
NUMERAL
99
FRENCH
quatre-vingt-dix-neuf
IPA
/katʁ.vɛ̃.dis.nœf/
Breakdown
Regional variants
FR France
quatre-vingt-dix-neuf
BE Belgium
nonante-neuf
CH Switzerland
nonante-neuf
Ordinal form
Ranking things rather than counting them: 99 becomes quatre-vingt-dix-neuvième, written 99e in figures.
MASCULINE
quatre-vingt-dix-neuvième
99e
FEMININE
quatre-vingt-dix-neuvième
99e (same word as the masculine)
BELGIUM
nonante-neuvième
SWITZERLAND
nonante-neuvième
French writes the abbreviation with a plain e, never ème: 99e. 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 99
Real sentence examples
“Le marathon de Paris attire quatre-vingt-dix-neuf mille coureurs.”
“Quatre-vingt-dix-neuf pour cent du temps, le bus est à l'heure.”
Pronunciation and morphology notes
The final vigesimal compound before reaching 100 (cent). Mastery of 99 implies command of the full 70-99 vigesimal block. Note the neuf pronunciation stays /nœf/ here (not the /nœv/ heard before "heures" or "ans").
Frequently asked questions
How do you say ninety-nine (99) in French?
Ninety-nine in French is "quatre-vingt-dix-neuf" (the number 99). It is built as 4 x 20 + 19 = 99 (4 x 20 + 10 + 9).
How is quatre-vingt-dix-neuf (99) pronounced in French?
In the International Phonetic Alphabet, "quatre-vingt-dix-neuf" is transcribed /katʁ.vɛ̃.dis.nœf/. Use the audio button on this page to hear the standard French pronunciation.
Is 99 said differently in Belgian or Swiss French?
Yes. In Metropolitan France 99 is "quatre-vingt-dix-neuf", but in Belgian French it is "nonante-neuf", and in Swiss French it is "nonante-neuf".
What is the ordinal form of 99 in French?
The ordinal for 99 is "quatre-vingt-dix-neuvième", abbreviated 99e. The form is the same in the masculine and the feminine. In Belgium it is "nonante-neuvième", and in Switzerland it is "nonante-neuvième".
How is 99 used in a French sentence?
A natural example is: "Le marathon de Paris attire quatre-vingt-dix-neuf mille coureurs."
Related numbers
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