Number to words · British English
Twenty in Numbers
Twenty is written 20 in numbers, and 20 in words is “twenty”. Below you will find the spelling, the cheque wording, the place values and the American and Indian forms.
In figures
20
In words
Twenty
Cheque: Twenty pounds only
20 at a glance
- Number
- 20
- In words (British)
- twenty
- Title Case
- Twenty
- American English
- twenty
- Cheque (UK)
- Twenty pounds only
- Cheque (US)
- Twenty and 00/100 dollars
- Cheque (Bangladesh)
- Taka twenty only
- In Bangla
- ২০ – বিশ
- Ordinal
- 20th – twentieth
- Roman numerals
- XX
- Digits
- 2 digits · even number
How to write 20 in words
The number 20 is written “twenty” in British English.
20 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 twenty pounds”. At the start of a sentence, in a heading, or on a legal document it takes capitals: Twenty. Formal documents often give both forms together, for example “twenty (20)”, so that a reader can check one against the other.
1 words · 6 letters
Twenty in figures
To turn “twenty” back into digits, work group by group. Each group word (billion, million, thousand) marks a block of three digits. The result is 20, or 20 without separators.
How to write 20 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
£20.00
Twenty pounds only
Amount in words · UK cheque
- With pence: add the pence after the pounds – “Twenty pounds and fifty pence only” for £20.50 – or write the pence as a fraction, “Twenty pounds 50/100”.
- US check: “Twenty 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 twenty only”, with the figure written Tk. 20/=.
| Currency | Figures | Amount in words |
|---|---|---|
| Pound sterlingUnited Kingdom | £20.00 | Twenty pounds only |
| US dollarUnited States | $20.00 | Twenty and 00/100 dollars |
| EuroEurozone | €20.00 | Twenty euros only |
| Indian rupeeIndia | ₹20.00 | Rupees twenty only |
| Bangladeshi takaBangladesh | Tk. 20/= | Taka twenty only |
| Pakistani rupeePakistan | Rs. 20/- | Rupees twenty 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 in British and American English
20 is spelled exactly the same way – “twenty” – 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 in Bangla (বাংলায় ২০)
In Bangla, 20 is written ২০ using Bengali digits, and in words it is বিশ. 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
কথায় · In words
বিশ
On a cheque or invoice written in Bangla the amount reads বিশ টাকা মাত্র (“বিশ taka only”). In English on the same cheque it is Taka twenty only – see How to write a cheque in Bangladesh.
Common mistakes when writing 20
- Mixing words and figures. In running text keep to one style: twenty or 20, not 20 (twenty) unless it is a legal document.
Other ways to write 20
| With commas (UK/US) | 20 |
|---|---|
| Without separators | 20 |
| Expanded form | 20 |
| Roman numerals | XX |
| Ordinal | 20th (twentieth) |
Half of 20 is 10 (ten). Double 20 is 40 (forty).
Numbers near 20
Questions about 20
What is 20 in words?
20 in words is "twenty". In Title Case, as on a formal document, it is "Twenty". This is the standard British English spelling.
How do you write twenty in numbers?
Twenty in numbers is 20 (20 without the comma separators).
How do you write 20 on a cheque?
On a UK cheque write "Twenty pounds only" in the amount-in-words box and £20.00 in the figures box. On a US check the wording is "Twenty and 00/100 dollars".
How do you write 20 taka in words?
On a Bangladeshi cheque or invoice write "Taka twenty only" and the figure as Tk. 20/=. Bangladesh counts in lakh and crore, so the words follow the South Asian system.
Is 20 written differently in American English?
No. 20 is "twenty" in both British and American English, because there is no "and" to add or remove in this number.
What is 20 in Bangla?
20 in Bangla is ২০, written in words as "বিশ". On a Bangladeshi cheque in Bangla it reads "বিশ টাকা মাত্র".
How many digits does 20 have?
20 has 2 digits and is an even number. In expanded form it is 20.