Number to words · British English
Twenty-One in Numbers
Twenty-One is written 21 in numbers, and 21 in words is “twenty-one”. Below you will find the spelling, the cheque wording, the place values and the American and Indian forms.
In figures
21
In words
Twenty-one
Cheque: Twenty-one pounds only
21 at a glance
- Number
- 21
- In words (British)
- twenty-one
- Title Case
- Twenty-One
- American English
- twenty-one
- Cheque (UK)
- Twenty-one pounds only
- Cheque (US)
- Twenty-one and 00/100 dollars
- Cheque (Bangladesh)
- Taka twenty-one only
- In Bangla
- ২১ – একুশ
- Ordinal
- 21st – twenty-first
- Roman numerals
- XXI
- Digits
- 2 digits · odd number
How to write 21 in words
The number 21 is written “twenty-one” in British English. The hyphen in twenty-one is not optional – every compound number from twenty-one to ninety-nine is hyphenated.
21 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 twenty-one pounds”. At the start of a sentence, in a heading, or on a legal document it takes capitals: Twenty-One. Formal documents often give both forms together, for example “twenty-one (21)”, so that a reader can check one against the other.
2 words · 9 letters
Twenty-One in figures
To turn “twenty-one” back into digits, work group by group. Each group word (billion, million, thousand) marks a block of three digits. The result is 21, or 21 without separators.
How to write 21 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
£21.00
Twenty-one pounds only
Amount in words · UK cheque
- With pence: add the pence after the pounds – “Twenty-one pounds and fifty pence only” for £21.50 – or write the pence as a fraction, “Twenty-one pounds 50/100”.
- US check: “Twenty-one 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-one only”, with the figure written Tk. 21/=.
| Currency | Figures | Amount in words |
|---|---|---|
| Pound sterlingUnited Kingdom | £21.00 | Twenty-one pounds only |
| US dollarUnited States | $21.00 | Twenty-one and 00/100 dollars |
| EuroEurozone | €21.00 | Twenty-one euros only |
| Indian rupeeIndia | ₹21.00 | Rupees twenty-one only |
| Bangladeshi takaBangladesh | Tk. 21/= | Taka twenty-one only |
| Pakistani rupeePakistan | Rs. 21/- | Rupees twenty-one 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.
21 in British and American English
21 is spelled exactly the same way – “twenty-one” – 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.
21 in Bangla (বাংলায় ২১)
In Bangla, 21 is written ২১ using Bengali digits, and in words it is একুশ. 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
২১
কথায় · In words
একুশ
On a cheque or invoice written in Bangla the amount reads একুশ টাকা মাত্র (“একুশ taka only”). In English on the same cheque it is Taka twenty-one only – see How to write a cheque in Bangladesh.
Common mistakes when writing 21
- Missing the hyphen. twenty one is a very common misspelling. Write twenty-one.
- Mixing words and figures. In running text keep to one style: twenty-one or 21, not 21 (twenty-one) unless it is a legal document.
Other ways to write 21
| With commas (UK/US) | 21 |
|---|---|
| Without separators | 21 |
| Expanded form | 20 + 1 |
| Roman numerals | XXI |
| Ordinal | 21st (twenty-first) |
Double 21 is 42 (forty-two).
Numbers near 21
Questions about 21
What is 21 in words?
21 in words is "twenty-one". In Title Case, as on a formal document, it is "Twenty-One". This is the standard British English spelling.
How do you write twenty-one in numbers?
Twenty-one in numbers is 21 (21 without the comma separators).
How do you write 21 on a cheque?
On a UK cheque write "Twenty-one pounds only" in the amount-in-words box and £21.00 in the figures box. On a US check the wording is "Twenty-one and 00/100 dollars".
How do you write 21 taka in words?
On a Bangladeshi cheque or invoice write "Taka twenty-one only" and the figure as Tk. 21/=. Bangladesh counts in lakh and crore, so the words follow the South Asian system.
Is it "twenty one" or "twenty-one"?
The correct spelling is "twenty-one" with a hyphen. Compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine are always hyphenated in British and American English.
Is 21 written differently in American English?
No. 21 is "twenty-one" in both British and American English, because there is no "and" to add or remove in this number.
What is 21 in Bangla?
21 in Bangla is ২১, written in words as "একুশ". On a Bangladeshi cheque in Bangla it reads "একুশ টাকা মাত্র".
How many digits does 21 have?
21 has 2 digits and is an odd number. In expanded form it is 20 + 1.