Number to words · British English
Sixteen in Numbers
Sixteen is written 16 in numbers, and 16 in words is “sixteen”. Below you will find the spelling, the cheque wording, the place values and the American and Indian forms.
In figures
16
In words
Sixteen
Cheque: Sixteen pounds only
16 at a glance
- Number
- 16
- In words (British)
- sixteen
- Title Case
- Sixteen
- American English
- sixteen
- Cheque (UK)
- Sixteen pounds only
- Cheque (US)
- Sixteen and 00/100 dollars
- Cheque (Bangladesh)
- Taka sixteen only
- In Bangla
- ১৬ – ষোলো
- Ordinal
- 16th – sixteenth
- Roman numerals
- XVI
- Digits
- 2 digits · even number
How to write 16 in words
The number 16 is written “sixteen” in British English.
16 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 sixteen pounds”. At the start of a sentence, in a heading, or on a legal document it takes capitals: Sixteen. Formal documents often give both forms together, for example “sixteen (16)”, so that a reader can check one against the other.
1 words · 7 letters
Sixteen in figures
To turn “sixteen” back into digits, work group by group. Each group word (billion, million, thousand) marks a block of three digits. The result is 16, or 16 without separators.
How to write 16 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
£16.00
Sixteen pounds only
Amount in words · UK cheque
- With pence: add the pence after the pounds – “Sixteen pounds and fifty pence only” for £16.50 – or write the pence as a fraction, “Sixteen pounds 50/100”.
- US check: “Sixteen 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 sixteen only”, with the figure written Tk. 16/=.
| Currency | Figures | Amount in words |
|---|---|---|
| Pound sterlingUnited Kingdom | £16.00 | Sixteen pounds only |
| US dollarUnited States | $16.00 | Sixteen and 00/100 dollars |
| EuroEurozone | €16.00 | Sixteen euros only |
| Indian rupeeIndia | ₹16.00 | Rupees sixteen only |
| Bangladeshi takaBangladesh | Tk. 16/= | Taka sixteen only |
| Pakistani rupeePakistan | Rs. 16/- | Rupees sixteen 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.
16 in British and American English
16 is spelled exactly the same way – “sixteen” – 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.
16 in Bangla (বাংলায় ১৬)
In Bangla, 16 is written ১৬ using Bengali digits, and in words it is ষোলো. 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
১৬
কথায় · In words
ষোলো
On a cheque or invoice written in Bangla the amount reads ষোলো টাকা মাত্র (“ষোলো taka only”). In English on the same cheque it is Taka sixteen only – see How to write a cheque in Bangladesh.
Common mistakes when writing 16
- Mixing words and figures. In running text keep to one style: sixteen or 16, not 16 (sixteen) unless it is a legal document.
Other ways to write 16
| With commas (UK/US) | 16 |
|---|---|
| Without separators | 16 |
| Expanded form | 10 + 6 |
| Roman numerals | XVI |
| Ordinal | 16th (sixteenth) |
Half of 16 is 8 (eight). Double 16 is 32 (thirty-two).
Numbers near 16
Questions about 16
What is 16 in words?
16 in words is "sixteen". In Title Case, as on a formal document, it is "Sixteen". This is the standard British English spelling.
How do you write sixteen in numbers?
Sixteen in numbers is 16 (16 without the comma separators).
How do you write 16 on a cheque?
On a UK cheque write "Sixteen pounds only" in the amount-in-words box and £16.00 in the figures box. On a US check the wording is "Sixteen and 00/100 dollars".
How do you write 16 taka in words?
On a Bangladeshi cheque or invoice write "Taka sixteen only" and the figure as Tk. 16/=. Bangladesh counts in lakh and crore, so the words follow the South Asian system.
Is 16 written differently in American English?
No. 16 is "sixteen" in both British and American English, because there is no "and" to add or remove in this number.
What is 16 in Bangla?
16 in Bangla is ১৬, written in words as "ষোলো". On a Bangladeshi cheque in Bangla it reads "ষোলো টাকা মাত্র".
How many digits does 16 have?
16 has 2 digits and is an even number. In expanded form it is 10 + 6.