Number to words · British English
Twenty Thousand in Numbers
Twenty Thousand is written 20,000 in numbers, and 20,000 in words is “twenty thousand”. Below you will find the spelling, the cheque wording, the place values and the American and Indian forms.
In figures
20,000
In words
Twenty thousand
Cheque: Twenty thousand pounds only
20,000 at a glance
- Number
- 20,000
- In words (British)
- twenty thousand
- Title Case
- Twenty Thousand
- American English
- twenty thousand
- Cheque (UK)
- Twenty thousand pounds only
- Cheque (US)
- Twenty thousand and 00/100 dollars
- Cheque (Bangladesh)
- Taka twenty thousand only
- Shorthand
- 20k
- In Bangla
- ২০,০০০ – বিশ হাজার
- Ordinal
- 20,000th – twenty thousandth
- Scientific notation
- 2 × 10⁴
- Digits
- 5 digits · even number
How to write 20,000 in words
The number 20,000 is written “twenty thousand” in British English.
Because 20,000 is below one thousand it is a single group: name the hundreds and stop. That gives “twenty thousand”.
In running text the number is normally lowercase: “the fee is twenty thousand pounds”. At the start of a sentence, in a heading, or on a legal document it takes capitals: Twenty Thousand. Formal documents often give both forms together, for example “twenty thousand (20,000)”, so that a reader can check one against the other.
2 words · 14 letters · 20,000 = 20 × 1,000 (one thousand)
Twenty Thousand in figures
To turn “twenty thousand” back into digits, work group by group. Each group word (billion, million, thousand) marks a block of three digits. The result is 20,000, or 20000 without separators.
Commas go after every third digit counting from the right: 20,000. In Britain and the United States this is the standard grouping; in much of Europe the same number appears as 20.000, and international scientific style uses spaces: 20 000.
How to write 20,000 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
£20,000.00
Twenty thousand pounds only
Amount in words · UK cheque
- With pence: add the pence after the pounds – “Twenty thousand pounds and fifty pence only” for £20,000.50 – or write the pence as a fraction, “Twenty thousand pounds 50/100”.
- US check: “Twenty 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 thousand only”, with the figure written Tk. 20,000/=.
| Currency | Figures | Amount in words |
|---|---|---|
| Pound sterlingUnited Kingdom | £20,000.00 | Twenty thousand pounds only |
| US dollarUnited States | $20,000.00 | Twenty thousand and 00/100 dollars |
| EuroEurozone | €20,000.00 | Twenty thousand euros only |
| Indian rupeeIndia | ₹20,000.00 | Rupees twenty thousand only |
| Bangladeshi takaBangladesh | Tk. 20,000/= | Taka twenty thousand only |
| Pakistani rupeePakistan | Rs. 20,000/- | Rupees twenty 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.
20,000 in British and American English
20,000 is spelled exactly the same way – “twenty 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.
20,000 in Bangla (বাংলায় ২০,০০০)
In Bangla, 20,000 is written ২০,০০০ using Bengali digits, and in words it is বিশ 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.
সংখ্যায় · In figures
২০,০০০
কথায় · In words
বিশ হাজার
On a cheque or invoice written in Bangla the amount reads বিশ হাজার টাকা মাত্র (“বিশ হাজার taka only”). In English on the same cheque it is Taka twenty thousand only – see How to write a cheque in Bangladesh.
Common mistakes when writing 20,000
- Pluralising the group words. It is thousand, never “hundreds”, “thousands” or “millions” after a number.
- Using shorthand in formal documents. 20k is fine in a message, but a cheque or contract needs twenty thousand or 20,000.
- Miscounting the zeros. 20,000 has 5 digits. Check the commas: every group between commas should have exactly three digits.
Other ways to write 20,000
| With commas (UK/US) | 20,000 |
|---|---|
| Without separators | 20000 |
| With spaces (SI) | 20 000 |
| European style | 20.000 |
| Shorthand | 20k |
| Scientific notation | 2 × 10⁴ |
| Expanded form | 20,000 |
| Ordinal | 20,000th (twenty thousandth) |
| As a multiple | 20 × 1,000 |
Half of 20,000 is 10,000 (ten thousand). Double 20,000 is 40,000 (forty thousand).
Numbers near 20,000
Questions about 20,000
What is 20,000 in words?
20,000 in words is "twenty thousand". In Title Case, as on a formal document, it is "Twenty Thousand". This is the standard British English spelling.
How do you write twenty thousand in numbers?
Twenty thousand in numbers is 20,000 (20000 without the comma separators).
How do you write 20,000 on a cheque?
On a UK cheque write "Twenty thousand pounds only" in the amount-in-words box and £20,000.00 in the figures box. On a US check the wording is "Twenty thousand and 00/100 dollars".
How do you write 20,000 taka in words?
On a Bangladeshi cheque or invoice write "Taka twenty thousand only" and the figure as Tk. 20,000/=. Bangladesh counts in lakh and crore, so the words follow the South Asian system.
Is 20,000 written differently in American English?
No. 20,000 is "twenty thousand" in both British and American English, because there is no "and" to add or remove in this number.
What is 20,000 in Bangla?
20,000 in Bangla is ২০,০০০, written in words as "বিশ হাজার". On a Bangladeshi cheque in Bangla it reads "বিশ হাজার টাকা মাত্র".
How many digits does 20,000 have?
20,000 has 5 digits and is an even number. In expanded form it is 20,000.