Number to words · British English
Twenty-One Thousand in Numbers
Twenty-One Thousand is written 21,000 in numbers, and 21,000 in words is “twenty-one thousand”. Below you will find the spelling, the cheque wording, the place values and the American and Indian forms.
In figures
21,000
In words
Twenty-one thousand
Cheque: Twenty-one thousand pounds only
21,000 at a glance
- Number
- 21,000
- In words (British)
- twenty-one thousand
- Title Case
- Twenty-One Thousand
- American English
- twenty-one thousand
- Cheque (UK)
- Twenty-one thousand pounds only
- Cheque (US)
- Twenty-one thousand and 00/100 dollars
- Cheque (Bangladesh)
- Taka twenty-one thousand only
- Shorthand
- 21k
- Ordinal
- 21,000th – twenty-one thousandth
- Scientific notation
- 2.1 × 10⁴
- Digits
- 5 digits · even number
How to write 21,000 in words
The number 21,000 is written “twenty-one thousand” in British English. The hyphen in twenty-one is not optional – every compound number from twenty-one to ninety-nine is hyphenated.
Because 21,000 is below one thousand it is a single group: name the hundreds and stop. That gives “twenty-one thousand”.
In running text the number is normally lowercase: “the fee is twenty-one thousand pounds”. At the start of a sentence, in a heading, or on a legal document it takes capitals: Twenty-One Thousand. Formal documents often give both forms together, for example “twenty-one thousand (21,000)”, so that a reader can check one against the other.
3 words · 17 letters · 21,000 = 21 × 1,000 (one thousand)
Twenty-One Thousand in figures
To turn “twenty-one thousand” back into digits, work group by group. Each group word (billion, million, thousand) marks a block of three digits. The result is 21,000, or 21000 without separators.
Commas go after every third digit counting from the right: 21,000. In Britain and the United States this is the standard grouping; in much of Europe the same number appears as 21.000, and international scientific style uses spaces: 21 000.
How to write 21,000 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
£21,000.00
Twenty-one thousand pounds only
Amount in words · UK cheque
- With pence: add the pence after the pounds – “Twenty-one thousand pounds and fifty pence only” for £21,000.50 – or write the pence as a fraction, “Twenty-one thousand pounds 50/100”.
- US check: “Twenty-one 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 twenty-one thousand only”, with the figure written Tk. 21,000/=.
| Currency | Figures | Amount in words |
|---|---|---|
| Pound sterlingUnited Kingdom | £21,000.00 | Twenty-one thousand pounds only |
| US dollarUnited States | $21,000.00 | Twenty-one thousand and 00/100 dollars |
| EuroEurozone | €21,000.00 | Twenty-one thousand euros only |
| Indian rupeeIndia | ₹21,000.00 | Rupees twenty-one thousand only |
| Bangladeshi takaBangladesh | Tk. 21,000/= | Taka twenty-one thousand only |
| Pakistani rupeePakistan | Rs. 21,000/- | Rupees twenty-one thousand 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.
21,000 in British and American English
21,000 is spelled exactly the same way – “twenty-one thousand” – 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.
Common mistakes when writing 21,000
- Missing the hyphen. twenty one thousand is a very common misspelling. Write twenty-one thousand.
- Pluralising the group words. It is thousand, never “hundreds”, “thousands” or “millions” after a number.
- Using shorthand in formal documents. 21k is fine in a message, but a cheque or contract needs twenty-one thousand or 21,000.
- Miscounting the zeros. 21,000 has 5 digits. Check the commas: every group between commas should have exactly three digits.
Other ways to write 21,000
| With commas (UK/US) | 21,000 |
|---|---|
| Without separators | 21000 |
| With spaces (SI) | 21 000 |
| European style | 21.000 |
| Shorthand | 21k |
| Scientific notation | 2.1 × 10⁴ |
| Expanded form | 20,000 + 1,000 |
| Ordinal | 21,000th (twenty-one thousandth) |
| As a multiple | 21 × 1,000 |
Half of 21,000 is 10,500 (ten thousand five hundred). Double 21,000 is 42,000 (forty-two thousand).
Numbers near 21,000
Questions about 21,000
What is 21,000 in words?
21,000 in words is "twenty-one thousand". In Title Case, as on a formal document, it is "Twenty-One Thousand". This is the standard British English spelling.
How do you write twenty-one thousand in numbers?
Twenty-one thousand in numbers is 21,000 (21000 without the comma separators).
How do you write 21,000 on a cheque?
On a UK cheque write "Twenty-one thousand pounds only" in the amount-in-words box and £21,000.00 in the figures box. On a US check the wording is "Twenty-one thousand and 00/100 dollars".
How do you write 21,000 taka in words?
On a Bangladeshi cheque or invoice write "Taka twenty-one thousand only" and the figure as Tk. 21,000/=. Bangladesh counts in lakh and crore, so the words follow the South Asian system.
Is it "twenty one thousand" or "twenty-one thousand"?
The correct spelling is "twenty-one thousand" with a hyphen. Compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine are always hyphenated in British and American English.
Is 21,000 written differently in American English?
No. 21,000 is "twenty-one thousand" in both British and American English, because there is no "and" to add or remove in this number.
How many digits does 21,000 have?
21,000 has 5 digits and is an even number. In expanded form it is 20,000 + 1,000.