French number converter
Type a whole number from 0 to 999,999,999,999 to see its French spelling, hear its pronunciation, and understand how it is built. Start with the French numbers 1–100 chart, then compare the forms used in France, Belgium, and Switzerland.
Commas and spaces are accepted.
France French
quatre-vingt-dix-sept
How it is built
4 × 20 + 17 = 97
Quick reference
These base forms are the foundation for every larger French number. Learn them first, then use the construction rules for the tens and hundreds.
| Number | France |
|---|---|
| 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 |
The system, step by step
French counting looks irregular only when every number is treated as a separate word. Most numbers follow a small set of reusable patterns. Learn the building blocks, notice where et is inserted, and save the special France French forms from 70 to 99 for last.
1 · Learn the base words
The words from zéro to seize must be learned directly. Seventeen, eighteen, and nineteen then reveal the first clear pattern: dix-sept, dix-huit, and dix-neuf literally combine ten with seven, eight, and nine.
2 · Build the regular tens
Combine vingt, trente, quarante, cinquante, or soixante with the final digit: 22 is vingt-deux and 48 is quarante-huit. Numbers ending in one usually insert et, so 21 is vingt et un and 61 is soixante et un.
3 · Decode 70 to 99
Seventy is built as 60 + 10: soixante-dix. Eighty is 4 × 20: quatre-vingts. Ninety is 80 + 10: quatre-vingt-dix. Read the arithmetic shown by the converter instead of memorizing each long form in isolation.
4 · Scale the same rules
One hundred is cent, one thousand is mille, and one million is un million. Build each group separately: 2,026 becomes deux mille vingt-six. The converter applies the same grouping logic to numbers as large as 999,999,999,999.
The difficult range
France French switches to a base-20 pattern: 70 is 60 + 10, 80 is four twenties, and 90 is four twenties + 10. Breaking the words into arithmetic makes them much easier to remember.
Master numbers 70–99Regional French
Belgium and Switzerland often use decimal forms that are simpler than France French. Compare all three systems before travelling, studying, or listening to regional speakers.
Compare regional formsPronunciation
French spelling does not map letter-for-letter to English sounds. Final consonants are often silent, nasal vowels carry much of the contrast, and a consonant can reappear through liaison when the next word begins with a vowel. For example, the final x in deux is silent when the number is said alone, but deux amis is commonly linked with a z sound.
Use Hear it to get the overall rhythm, then repeat the number in a short phrase instead of practising isolated words only. The playback voice comes from your browser or operating system, so its accent and quality may vary. France, Belgian, and Swiss vocabulary can differ even when the pronunciation pattern is similar.
Try the pronunciation tool →Practical French
French phone numbers are usually read in five two-digit groups. 06 12 34 56 78 becomes zéro six, douze, trente-quatre, cinquante-six, soixante-dix-huit.
French uses a decimal comma. A price written 12,50 € is commonly said douze euros cinquante.
17 August 2026 is le dix-sept août deux mille vingt-six. Only the first day of a month normally uses premier.
Practise the numbers you need for train times, hotel rooms, street addresses, quantities, and reservation codes. These repeated real-life patterns build recall faster than a random list.
Learning path
Use the converter for an immediate answer, but use the guides to build a system you can recall without a tool. This three-step path covers the main rules and the range learners find most difficult.
Featured numbers
Each guide explains the spelling, arithmetic, regional alternatives, and the mistake to avoid.
21
Twenty-one is the first compound French number that inserts et before un.
70
France French builds seventy as sixty plus ten: soixante-dix.
71
Seventy-one is the exceptional combination soixante et onze in France French.
80
Eighty is quatre-vingts: literally four twenties.
81
Eighty-one is quatre-vingt-un in France and Belgium French.
90
Ninety is quatre-vingt-dix in France French.
97
Ninety-seven is quatre-vingt-dix-sept: four twenties plus seventeen.
100
One hundred is simply cent, not un cent in ordinary counting.
1,000
One thousand is mille, never un mille in ordinary cardinal numbers.
2,026
Two thousand twenty-six is deux mille vingt-six.
Frequently asked questions
In France, 70 is soixante-dix, literally sixty-ten. Belgium and Switzerland commonly use septante.
Quatre-vingts means four twenties. It is a surviving base-20 pattern used in standard France French.
Learn 1 to 16 first, then the regular tens from 20 to 60. After that, focus separately on the special 70 to 99 patterns. Use the 1–100 chart for review and the converter to test unfamiliar combinations.
Quatre-vingts keeps the s when it ends the number 80. It loses the s when another number follows, as in quatre-vingt-un for 81 and quatre-vingt-dix for 90.
Yes. Belgium commonly uses septante and nonante. The Swiss form shown here uses septante, huitante, and nonante.
In France, a ten-digit phone number is commonly read in five groups of two digits. For example, 06 12 34 56 78 is read as zéro six, douze, trente-quatre, cinquante-six, soixante-dix-huit.
One hundred is cent and one thousand is mille. Cent takes an s only when it is multiplied and ends the number, as in deux cents. Mille never takes an s in cardinal numbers.
Yes. Enter a number and select Hear it. Playback uses the French voice available in your browser or operating system.