Three Hundred and Forty-Two Thousand in Numbers

How to write 342,000 in words

The number 342,000 is written “three hundred and forty-two thousand” in British English. Notice the word “and”: British English places it between the hundreds and the rest of the group. American English usually leaves it out. The hyphen in forty-two is not optional – every compound number from twenty-one to ninety-nine is hyphenated.

Because 342,000 is below one thousand it is a single group: name the hundreds and stop. That gives “three hundred and forty-two thousand”.

In running text the number is normally lowercase: “the fee is three hundred and forty-two thousand pounds”. At the start of a sentence, in a heading, or on a legal document it takes capitals: Three Hundred and Forty-Two Thousand. Formal documents often give both forms together, for example “three hundred and forty-two thousand (342,000)”, so that a reader can check one against the other.

6 words · 31 letters · 342,000 = 342 × 1,000 (one thousand)

Three Hundred and Forty-Two Thousand in figures

To turn “three hundred and forty-two thousand” back into digits, work group by group. Each group word (billion, million, thousand) marks a block of three digits. The result is 342,000, or 342000 without separators.

Commas go after every third digit counting from the right: 342,000. In Britain and the United States this is the standard grouping; in much of Europe the same number appears as 342.000, and international scientific style uses spaces: 342 000.

How to write 342,000 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.

• With pence: add the pence after the pounds – “Three hundred and forty-two thousand pounds and fifty pence only” for £342,000.50 – or write the pence as a fraction, “Three hundred and forty-two thousand pounds 50/100”.
• US check: “Three hundred forty-two thousand 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 three lakh forty-two thousand only”, with the figure written Tk. 3,42,000/=.

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.

342,000 in British and American English

This is one of the numbers where the two spellings differ. British English keeps “and” after the hundreds; American English generally drops it.

Both are correct in their own country and both are understood everywhere. For a UK cheque, contract or exam, use the British form. See British vs American English numbers for the full comparison.

342,000 in lakh and crore (India, Bangladesh and Pakistan)

In India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, large numbers are grouped differently. After the first thousand the digits are grouped in twos, and the units are lakh (100,000) and crore (10,000,000). So 342,000 becomes 3,42,000, read as “three lakh forty-two thousand” – or simply 3.42 lakh.

On an Indian cheque or invoice the amount reads “Rupees three lakh forty-two thousand only”; in Bangladesh it is “Taka three lakh forty-two thousand only”. Our lakh and crore conversion guide explains the system in full.

342,000 in Bangla (বাংলায় ৩,৪২,০০০)

In Bangla, 342,000 is written ৩,৪২,০০০ using Bengali digits, and in words it is তিন লাখ বিয়াল্লিশ হাজার. 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.

On a cheque or invoice written in Bangla the amount reads তিন লাখ বিয়াল্লিশ হাজার টাকা মাত্র (“তিন লাখ বিয়াল্লিশ হাজার taka only”). In English on the same cheque it is Taka three lakh forty-two thousand only – see How to write a cheque in Bangladesh.

Common mistakes when writing 342,000

• Missing the hyphen. three hundred and forty two thousand is a very common misspelling. Write three hundred and forty-two thousand.
• Dropping “and”. three hundred forty-two thousand is American usage. In British English write three hundred and forty-two thousand.
• Pluralising the group words. It is hundred, thousand, never “hundreds”, “thousands” or “millions” after a number.
• Using shorthand in formal documents. 342k is fine in a message, but a cheque or contract needs three hundred and forty-two thousand or 342,000.
• Miscounting the zeros. 342,000 has 6 digits. Check the commas: every group between commas should have exactly three digits.

Other ways to write 342,000