Number to words · British English
Twenty Billion in Numbers
Twenty Billion is written 20,000,000,000 in numbers, and 20,000,000,000 in words is “twenty billion”. Below you will find the spelling, the cheque wording, the place values and the American and Indian forms.
In figures
20,000,000,000
In words
Twenty billion
Cheque: Twenty billion pounds only
20,000,000,000 at a glance
- Number
- 20,000,000,000
- In words (British)
- twenty billion
- Title Case
- Twenty Billion
- American English
- twenty billion
- Cheque (UK)
- Twenty billion pounds only
- Cheque (US)
- Twenty billion and 00/100 dollars
- Cheque (Bangladesh)
- Taka two thousand crore only
- Shorthand
- 20bn
- Indian system
- 20,00,00,00,000 – two thousand crore
- In Bangla
- ২০,০০,০০,০০,০০০ – দুই হাজার কোটি
- Ordinal
- 20,000,000,000th – twenty billionth
- Scientific notation
- 2 × 10¹⁰
- Digits
- 11 digits · even number
How to write 20,000,000,000 in words
The number 20,000,000,000 is written “twenty billion” in British English.
Because 20,000,000,000 is below one thousand it is a single group: name the hundreds and stop. That gives “twenty billion”.
In running text the number is normally lowercase: “the fee is twenty billion pounds”. At the start of a sentence, in a heading, or on a legal document it takes capitals: Twenty Billion. Formal documents often give both forms together, for example “twenty billion (20,000,000,000)”, so that a reader can check one against the other.
2 words · 13 letters · 20,000,000,000 = 20 × 1,000,000,000 (one billion)
Twenty Billion in figures
To turn “twenty billion” back into digits, work group by group. Each group word (billion, million, thousand) marks a block of three digits. The result is 20,000,000,000, or 20000000000 without separators.
Commas go after every third digit counting from the right: 20,000,000,000. In Britain and the United States this is the standard grouping; in much of Europe the same number appears as 20.000.000.000, and international scientific style uses spaces: 20 000 000 000.
How to write 20,000,000,000 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.
Pay
£20,000,000,000.00
Twenty billion pounds only
Amount in words · UK cheque
- With pence: add the pence after the pounds – “Twenty billion pounds and fifty pence only” for £20,000,000,000.50 – or write the pence as a fraction, “Twenty billion pounds 50/100”.
- US check: “Twenty billion 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 two thousand crore only”, with the figure written Tk. 20,00,00,00,000/=.
| Currency | Figures | Amount in words |
|---|---|---|
| Pound sterlingUnited Kingdom | £20,000,000,000.00 | Twenty billion pounds only |
| US dollarUnited States | $20,000,000,000.00 | Twenty billion and 00/100 dollars |
| EuroEurozone | €20,000,000,000.00 | Twenty billion euros only |
| Indian rupeeIndia | ₹20,00,00,00,000.00 | Rupees two thousand crore only |
| Bangladeshi takaBangladesh | Tk. 20,00,00,00,000/= | Taka two thousand crore only |
| Pakistani rupeePakistan | Rs. 20,00,00,00,000/- | Rupees two thousand crore 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.
20,000,000,000 in British and American English
20,000,000,000 is spelled exactly the same way – “twenty billion” – 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.
20,000,000,000 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 20,000,000,000 becomes 20,00,00,00,000, read as “two thousand crore” – or simply 2,000 crore.
| System | Figures | Words |
|---|---|---|
| International | 20,000,000,000 | twenty billion |
| Indian | 20,00,00,00,000 | two thousand crore |
On an Indian cheque or invoice the amount reads “Rupees two thousand crore only”; in Bangladesh it is “Taka two thousand crore only”. Our lakh and crore conversion guide explains the system in full.
20,000,000,000 in Bangla (বাংলায় ২০,০০,০০,০০,০০০)
In Bangla, 20,000,000,000 is written ২০,০০,০০,০০,০০০ using Bengali digits, and in words it is দুই হাজার কোটি. 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
২০,০০,০০,০০,০০০
কথায় · In words
দুই হাজার কোটি
On a cheque or invoice written in Bangla the amount reads দুই হাজার কোটি টাকা মাত্র (“দুই হাজার কোটি taka only”). In English on the same cheque it is Taka two thousand crore only – see How to write a cheque in Bangladesh.
Common mistakes when writing 20,000,000,000
- Pluralising the group words. It is billion, never “hundreds”, “thousands” or “millions” after a number.
- Using shorthand in formal documents. 20bn is fine in a message, but a cheque or contract needs twenty billion or 20,000,000,000.
- Miscounting the zeros. 20,000,000,000 has 11 digits. Check the commas: every group between commas should have exactly three digits.
Other ways to write 20,000,000,000
| With commas (UK/US) | 20,000,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Without separators | 20000000000 |
| With spaces (SI) | 20 000 000 000 |
| European style | 20.000.000.000 |
| Shorthand | 20bn |
| Indian grouping | 20,00,00,00,000 |
| Scientific notation | 2 × 10¹⁰ |
| Expanded form | 20,000,000,000 |
| Ordinal | 20,000,000,000th (twenty billionth) |
| As a multiple | 20 × 1,000,000,000 |
Half of 20,000,000,000 is 10,000,000,000 (ten billion). Double 20,000,000,000 is 40,000,000,000 (forty billion).
Numbers near 20,000,000,000
9,000,000,000
Nine Billion
9,500,000,000
Nine Billion Five Hundred Million
10,000,000,000
Ten Billion
15,000,000,000
Fifteen Billion
25,000,000,000
Twenty-Five Billion
30,000,000,000
Thirty Billion
Also in this range
Questions about 20,000,000,000
What is 20,000,000,000 in words?
20,000,000,000 in words is "twenty billion". In Title Case, as on a formal document, it is "Twenty Billion". This is the standard British English spelling.
How do you write twenty billion in numbers?
Twenty billion in numbers is 20,000,000,000 (20000000000 without the comma separators).
How do you write 20,000,000,000 on a cheque?
On a UK cheque write "Twenty billion pounds only" in the amount-in-words box and £20,000,000,000.00 in the figures box. On a US check the wording is "Twenty billion and 00/100 dollars".
How do you write 20,000,000,000 taka in words?
On a Bangladeshi cheque or invoice write "Taka two thousand crore only" and the figure as Tk. 20,00,00,00,000/=. Bangladesh counts in lakh and crore, so the words follow the South Asian system (20,00,00,00,000).
Is 20,000,000,000 written differently in American English?
No. 20,000,000,000 is "twenty billion" in both British and American English, because there is no "and" to add or remove in this number.
What is 20,000,000,000 in Bangla?
20,000,000,000 in Bangla is ২০,০০,০০,০০,০০০, written in words as "দুই হাজার কোটি". On a Bangladeshi cheque in Bangla it reads "দুই হাজার কোটি টাকা মাত্র".
How do you write 20,000,000,000 in the Indian numbering system?
In India 20,000,000,000 is written 20,00,00,00,000 and read as "two thousand crore" (2,000 crore). On an Indian cheque you would write "Rupees two thousand crore only".