Number to words · British English
Thirty-Eight in Numbers
Thirty-Eight is written 38 in numbers, and 38 in words is “thirty-eight”. Below you will find the spelling, the cheque wording, the place values and the American and Indian forms.
In figures
38
In words
Thirty-eight
Cheque: Thirty-eight pounds only
38 at a glance
- Number
- 38
- In words (British)
- thirty-eight
- Title Case
- Thirty-Eight
- American English
- thirty-eight
- Cheque (UK)
- Thirty-eight pounds only
- Cheque (US)
- Thirty-eight and 00/100 dollars
- Cheque (Bangladesh)
- Taka thirty-eight only
- In Bangla
- ৩৮ – আটত্রিশ
- Ordinal
- 38th – thirty-eighth
- Roman numerals
- XXXVIII
- Digits
- 2 digits · even number
How to write 38 in words
The number 38 is written “thirty-eight” in British English. The hyphen in thirty-eight is not optional – every compound number from twenty-one to ninety-nine is hyphenated.
38 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 thirty-eight pounds”. At the start of a sentence, in a heading, or on a legal document it takes capitals: Thirty-Eight. Formal documents often give both forms together, for example “thirty-eight (38)”, so that a reader can check one against the other.
2 words · 11 letters
Thirty-Eight in figures
To turn “thirty-eight” back into digits, work group by group. Each group word (billion, million, thousand) marks a block of three digits. The result is 38, or 38 without separators.
How to write 38 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
£38.00
Thirty-eight pounds only
Amount in words · UK cheque
- With pence: add the pence after the pounds – “Thirty-eight pounds and fifty pence only” for £38.50 – or write the pence as a fraction, “Thirty-eight pounds 50/100”.
- US check: “Thirty-eight 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 thirty-eight only”, with the figure written Tk. 38/=.
| Currency | Figures | Amount in words |
|---|---|---|
| Pound sterlingUnited Kingdom | £38.00 | Thirty-eight pounds only |
| US dollarUnited States | $38.00 | Thirty-eight and 00/100 dollars |
| EuroEurozone | €38.00 | Thirty-eight euros only |
| Indian rupeeIndia | ₹38.00 | Rupees thirty-eight only |
| Bangladeshi takaBangladesh | Tk. 38/= | Taka thirty-eight only |
| Pakistani rupeePakistan | Rs. 38/- | Rupees thirty-eight 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.
38 in British and American English
38 is spelled exactly the same way – “thirty-eight” – 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.
38 in Bangla (বাংলায় ৩৮)
In Bangla, 38 is written ৩৮ using Bengali digits, and in words it is আটত্রিশ. 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
৩৮
কথায় · In words
আটত্রিশ
On a cheque or invoice written in Bangla the amount reads আটত্রিশ টাকা মাত্র (“আটত্রিশ taka only”). In English on the same cheque it is Taka thirty-eight only – see How to write a cheque in Bangladesh.
Common mistakes when writing 38
- Missing the hyphen. thirty eight is a very common misspelling. Write thirty-eight.
- Mixing words and figures. In running text keep to one style: thirty-eight or 38, not 38 (thirty-eight) unless it is a legal document.
Other ways to write 38
| With commas (UK/US) | 38 |
|---|---|
| Without separators | 38 |
| Expanded form | 30 + 8 |
| Roman numerals | XXXVIII |
| Ordinal | 38th (thirty-eighth) |
Half of 38 is 19 (nineteen). Double 38 is 76 (seventy-six).
Numbers near 38
Questions about 38
What is 38 in words?
38 in words is "thirty-eight". In Title Case, as on a formal document, it is "Thirty-Eight". This is the standard British English spelling.
How do you write thirty-eight in numbers?
Thirty-eight in numbers is 38 (38 without the comma separators).
How do you write 38 on a cheque?
On a UK cheque write "Thirty-eight pounds only" in the amount-in-words box and £38.00 in the figures box. On a US check the wording is "Thirty-eight and 00/100 dollars".
How do you write 38 taka in words?
On a Bangladeshi cheque or invoice write "Taka thirty-eight only" and the figure as Tk. 38/=. Bangladesh counts in lakh and crore, so the words follow the South Asian system.
Is it "thirty eight" or "thirty-eight"?
The correct spelling is "thirty-eight" with a hyphen. Compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine are always hyphenated in British and American English.
Is 38 written differently in American English?
No. 38 is "thirty-eight" in both British and American English, because there is no "and" to add or remove in this number.
What is 38 in Bangla?
38 in Bangla is ৩৮, written in words as "আটত্রিশ". On a Bangladeshi cheque in Bangla it reads "আটত্রিশ টাকা মাত্র".
How many digits does 38 have?
38 has 2 digits and is an even number. In expanded form it is 30 + 8.