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Each step is ten times larger
After one thousand come ten thousand, one hundred thousand, and one million: 1,000; 10,000; 100,000; 1,000,000. Each is ten times the preceding number.
Group digits in threes
Split 824,036 into 824 thousand and 36. Read eight hundred and twenty-four thousand and thirty-six. A grouping separator does not change the value. Leading zeros in the last group hold places; we do not read each zero aloud.
When the final group is zero
Read 72,000 as seventy-two thousand. The last three zeros mean there are no additional hundreds, tens, or ones. The number 72,009 has nine extra ones.
Worked examples
824 036 = 824 × 1 000 + 36
Read the thousands group first, then the remainder.
1 000 × 1 000 = 1 000 000
A thousand thousands make one million. That is ten hundred-thousands.
Try it yourself
Your turn
Type the missing word, number, or sign. Spaces in large numbers are allowed. Try first, then open the explanation.
Invent a number with 54 thousand and fewer than 100 additional ones. Write it in digits and words.
See an example answer
Example: 54,026, fifty-four thousand and twenty-six.
Check your knowledge
Choose one answer for each question. You can revise your answers and check again.
Answer key
- 95 004. Four ones go at the end; the tens and hundreds are zeros.
- 10. 10 × 100,000 = 1,000,000.
- 218 000 + 45. The first three digits represent thousands.
- 36 000. 36 × 1,000 = 36,000.
- 1 000 000. A million is written as one followed by six zeros.