Number to words · British English
Forty-Two in Numbers
Forty-Two is written 42 in numbers, and 42 in words is “forty-two”. Below you will find the spelling, the cheque wording, the place values and the American and Indian forms.
In figures
42
In words
Forty-two
Cheque: Forty-two pounds only
42 at a glance
- Number
- 42
- In words (British)
- forty-two
- Title Case
- Forty-Two
- American English
- forty-two
- Cheque (UK)
- Forty-two pounds only
- Cheque (US)
- Forty-two and 00/100 dollars
- Cheque (Bangladesh)
- Taka forty-two only
- In Bangla
- ৪২ – বিয়াল্লিশ
- Ordinal
- 42nd – forty-second
- Roman numerals
- XLII
- Digits
- 2 digits · even number
How to write 42 in words
The number 42 is written “forty-two” in British English. The hyphen in forty-two is not optional – every compound number from twenty-one to ninety-nine is hyphenated.
42 is one of the basic number words that every larger number is built from, so it has to be learned rather than constructed – but remember the hyphen between the tens and the units.
In running text the number is normally lowercase: “the fee is forty-two pounds”. At the start of a sentence, in a heading, or on a legal document it takes capitals: Forty-Two. Formal documents often give both forms together, for example “forty-two (42)”, so that a reader can check one against the other.
2 words · 8 letters
Forty-Two in figures
To turn “forty-two” back into digits, work group by group. Each group word (billion, million, thousand) marks a block of three digits. The result is 42, or 42 without separators.
How to write 42 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
£42.00
Forty-two pounds only
Amount in words · UK cheque
- With pence: add the pence after the pounds – “Forty-two pounds and fifty pence only” for £42.50 – or write the pence as a fraction, “Forty-two pounds 50/100”.
- US check: “Forty-two 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-two only”, with the figure written Tk. 42/=.
| Currency | Figures | Amount in words |
|---|---|---|
| Pound sterlingUnited Kingdom | £42.00 | Forty-two pounds only |
| US dollarUnited States | $42.00 | Forty-two and 00/100 dollars |
| EuroEurozone | €42.00 | Forty-two euros only |
| Indian rupeeIndia | ₹42.00 | Rupees forty-two only |
| Bangladeshi takaBangladesh | Tk. 42/= | Taka forty-two only |
| Pakistani rupeePakistan | Rs. 42/- | Rupees forty-two 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.
42 in British and American English
42 is spelled exactly the same way – “forty-two” – 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.
42 in Bangla (বাংলায় ৪২)
In Bangla, 42 is written ৪২ using Bengali digits, and in words it is বিয়াল্লিশ. 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
৪২
কথায় · In words
বিয়াল্লিশ
On a cheque or invoice written in Bangla the amount reads বিয়াল্লিশ টাকা মাত্র (“বিয়াল্লিশ taka only”). In English on the same cheque it is Taka forty-two only – see How to write a cheque in Bangladesh.
Common mistakes when writing 42
- Missing the hyphen. forty two is a very common misspelling. Write forty-two.
- Mixing words and figures. In running text keep to one style: forty-two or 42, not 42 (forty-two) unless it is a legal document.
Other ways to write 42
| With commas (UK/US) | 42 |
|---|---|
| Without separators | 42 |
| Expanded form | 40 + 2 |
| Roman numerals | XLII |
| Ordinal | 42nd (forty-second) |
Half of 42 is 21 (twenty-one). Double 42 is 84 (eighty-four).
Numbers near 42
Questions about 42
What is 42 in words?
42 in words is "forty-two". In Title Case, as on a formal document, it is "Forty-Two". This is the standard British English spelling.
How do you write forty-two in numbers?
Forty-two in numbers is 42 (42 without the comma separators).
How do you write 42 on a cheque?
On a UK cheque write "Forty-two pounds only" in the amount-in-words box and £42.00 in the figures box. On a US check the wording is "Forty-two and 00/100 dollars".
How do you write 42 taka in words?
On a Bangladeshi cheque or invoice write "Taka forty-two only" and the figure as Tk. 42/=. Bangladesh counts in lakh and crore, so the words follow the South Asian system.
Is it "forty two" or "forty-two"?
The correct spelling is "forty-two" with a hyphen. Compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine are always hyphenated in British and American English.
Is 42 written differently in American English?
No. 42 is "forty-two" in both British and American English, because there is no "and" to add or remove in this number.
What is 42 in Bangla?
42 in Bangla is ৪২, written in words as "বিয়াল্লিশ". On a Bangladeshi cheque in Bangla it reads "বিয়াল্লিশ টাকা মাত্র".
How many digits does 42 have?
42 has 2 digits and is an even number. In expanded form it is 40 + 2.