Number to words · British English
Forty in Numbers
Forty is written 40 in numbers, and 40 in words is “forty”. Below you will find the spelling, the cheque wording, the place values and the American and Indian forms.
In figures
40
In words
Forty
Cheque: Forty pounds only
40 at a glance
- Number
- 40
- In words (British)
- forty
- Title Case
- Forty
- American English
- forty
- Cheque (UK)
- Forty pounds only
- Cheque (US)
- Forty and 00/100 dollars
- Cheque (Bangladesh)
- Taka forty only
- In Bangla
- ৪০ – চল্লিশ
- Ordinal
- 40th – fortieth
- Roman numerals
- XL
- Digits
- 2 digits · even number
How to write 40 in words
The number 40 is written “forty” in British English.
40 is one of the basic number words that every larger number is built from, so it has to be learned rather than constructed.
In running text the number is normally lowercase: “the fee is forty pounds”. At the start of a sentence, in a heading, or on a legal document it takes capitals: Forty. Formal documents often give both forms together, for example “forty (40)”, so that a reader can check one against the other.
1 words · 5 letters
Forty in figures
To turn “forty” back into digits, work group by group. Each group word (billion, million, thousand) marks a block of three digits. The result is 40, or 40 without separators.
How to write 40 on a cheque
Banks read the amount in words as the legal amount, so it must be exact. Write the pounds in words, add the word pounds, and finish with only so that nothing can be added afterwards.
Pay
£40.00
Forty pounds only
Amount in words · UK cheque
- With pence: add the pence after the pounds – “Forty pounds and fifty pence only” for £40.50 – or write the pence as a fraction, “Forty pounds 50/100”.
- US check: “Forty and 00/100 dollars”. American cheques drop the “and” after the hundreds and put it before the cents.
- Bangladesh, India and Pakistan: the currency word comes first and the amount is counted in lakh and crore – “Taka forty only”, with the figure written Tk. 40/=.
| Currency | Figures | Amount in words |
|---|---|---|
| Pound sterlingUnited Kingdom | £40.00 | Forty pounds only |
| US dollarUnited States | $40.00 | Forty and 00/100 dollars |
| EuroEurozone | €40.00 | Forty euros only |
| Indian rupeeIndia | ₹40.00 | Rupees forty only |
| Bangladeshi takaBangladesh | Tk. 40/= | Taka forty only |
| Pakistani rupeePakistan | Rs. 40/- | Rupees forty only |
Read the full guide to writing a UK cheque or the guide to writing a cheque in Bangladesh for the layout, the date, and what to do if the words and figures disagree.
40 in British and American English
40 is spelled exactly the same way – “forty” – in British and American English. The two varieties only differ when a number contains hundreds followed by tens or units, where British English adds “and”. Read more in our guide to British vs American English numbers.
40 in Bangla (বাংলায় ৪০)
In Bangla, 40 is written ৪০ using Bengali digits, and in words it is চল্লিশ. Bangla has its own word for every number from one to ninety-nine, and above that it counts in হাজার (thousand), লাখ (lakh) and কোটি (crore), the same grouping used across Bangladesh and India.
সংখ্যায় · In figures
৪০
কথায় · In words
চল্লিশ
On a cheque or invoice written in Bangla the amount reads চল্লিশ টাকা মাত্র (“চল্লিশ taka only”). In English on the same cheque it is Taka forty only – see How to write a cheque in Bangladesh.
Common mistakes when writing 40
- Mixing words and figures. In running text keep to one style: forty or 40, not 40 (forty) unless it is a legal document.
Other ways to write 40
| With commas (UK/US) | 40 |
|---|---|
| Without separators | 40 |
| Expanded form | 40 |
| Roman numerals | XL |
| Ordinal | 40th (fortieth) |
Half of 40 is 20 (twenty). Double 40 is 80 (eighty).
Numbers near 40
Questions about 40
What is 40 in words?
40 in words is "forty". In Title Case, as on a formal document, it is "Forty". This is the standard British English spelling.
How do you write forty in numbers?
Forty in numbers is 40 (40 without the comma separators).
How do you write 40 on a cheque?
On a UK cheque write "Forty pounds only" in the amount-in-words box and £40.00 in the figures box. On a US check the wording is "Forty and 00/100 dollars".
How do you write 40 taka in words?
On a Bangladeshi cheque or invoice write "Taka forty only" and the figure as Tk. 40/=. Bangladesh counts in lakh and crore, so the words follow the South Asian system.
Is 40 written differently in American English?
No. 40 is "forty" in both British and American English, because there is no "and" to add or remove in this number.
What is 40 in Bangla?
40 in Bangla is ৪০, written in words as "চল্লিশ". On a Bangladeshi cheque in Bangla it reads "চল্লিশ টাকা মাত্র".
How many digits does 40 have?
40 has 2 digits and is an even number. In expanded form it is 40.