Two Hundred Thousand in Numbers

How to write 200,000 in words

The number 200,000 is written “two hundred thousand” in British English.

Because 200,000 is below one thousand it is a single group: name the hundreds and stop. That gives “two hundred thousand”.

In running text the number is normally lowercase: “the fee is two hundred thousand pounds”. At the start of a sentence, in a heading, or on a legal document it takes capitals: Two Hundred Thousand. Formal documents often give both forms together, for example “two hundred thousand (200,000)”, so that a reader can check one against the other.

3 words · 18 letters · 200,000 = 200 × 1,000 (one thousand)

Two Hundred Thousand in figures

To turn “two hundred thousand” back into digits, work group by group. Each group word (billion, million, thousand) marks a block of three digits. The result is 200,000, or 200000 without separators.

Commas go after every third digit counting from the right: 200,000. In Britain and the United States this is the standard grouping; in much of Europe the same number appears as 200.000, and international scientific style uses spaces: 200 000.

How to write 200,000 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.

• With pence: add the pence after the pounds – “Two hundred thousand pounds and fifty pence only” for £200,000.50 – or write the pence as a fraction, “Two hundred thousand pounds 50/100”.
• US check: “Two hundred 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 two lakh only”, with the figure written Tk. 2,00,000/=.

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.

200,000 in British and American English

200,000 is spelled exactly the same way – “two hundred 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.

200,000 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 200,000 becomes 2,00,000, read as “two lakh” – or simply 2 lakh.

On an Indian cheque or invoice the amount reads “Rupees two lakh only”; in Bangladesh it is “Taka two lakh only”. Our lakh and crore conversion guide explains the system in full.

200,000 in Bangla (বাংলায় ২,০০,০০০)

In Bangla, 200,000 is written ২,০০,০০০ using Bengali digits, and in words it is দুই লাখ. 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.

On a cheque or invoice written in Bangla the amount reads দুই লাখ টাকা মাত্র (“দুই লাখ taka only”). In English on the same cheque it is Taka two lakh only – see How to write a cheque in Bangladesh.

Common mistakes when writing 200,000

• Pluralising the group words. It is hundred, thousand, never “hundreds”, “thousands” or “millions” after a number.
• Using shorthand in formal documents. 200k is fine in a message, but a cheque or contract needs two hundred thousand or 200,000.
• Miscounting the zeros. 200,000 has 6 digits. Check the commas: every group between commas should have exactly three digits.

Other ways to write 200,000

Half of 200,000 is 100,000 (one hundred thousand). Double 200,000 is 400,000 (four hundred thousand).