Free online tool
Words to numbers converter
Type a number in words – “two thousand five hundred”, “twelve lakh”, “1.2 million” – and get the figures instantly. Switch direction to spell any figure out in British English.
Understands “and”, hyphens, commas, lakh and crore, and shorthand like 46k, 1.2M or 2bn. Everything runs in your browser – nothing is sent to a server.
How to convert words to numbers by hand
Number words are built in three-digit groups, so the trick is to find the group words – billion, million, thousand – and treat everything before each one as a block of up to three digits.
- Split at the group words. “One million two hundred and fifty thousand” splits into one | million | two hundred and fifty | thousand.
- Write each block as three digits. one → 001, two hundred and fifty → 250, and there is no final block, so 000.
- Join and tidy. 001 250 000 → 1,250,000.
Watch for a missing group. “Two million and five” has nothing in the thousands, so the middle block is 000 and the answer is 2,000,005 – not 2,005. The large numbers guide walks through more examples.
Number to words: the British English rules the tool follows
- “And” after the hundreds: two hundred and fifty, never two hundred fifty in British usage.
- “And” before a small final part: one thousand and five, forty-six thousand and fifty-eight.
- Hyphens from twenty-one to ninety-nine: thirty-eight, seventy-two.
- No “and” between groups: two thousand five hundred, one million two hundred thousand.
- Group words stay singular: six hundred thousand, not six hundreds thousands.
The complete set, including commas, capitals and when to use words rather than figures, is in Rules for writing numbers in words.
When you need numbers in words
| Situation | What is expected | Example |
|---|---|---|
| UK cheque | Words, then “pounds only” | Two thousand five hundred pounds only |
| US check | Words, cents as a fraction | Two thousand five hundred and 00/100 dollars |
| Contract or will | Words with figures in brackets | two hundred and fifty thousand pounds (£250,000) |
| Indian invoice | “Rupees … only” in lakh and crore | Rupees twelve lakh fifty thousand only |
| Essay or report | Words below ten or one hundred, and at the start of a sentence | Thirty-eight people attended. |
Frequently asked questions
How does the words to numbers converter work?
It reads each word in turn. Number words such as "forty" and "six" are added together, "hundred" multiplies the running total, and group words such as "thousand", "million", "lakh" and "crore" close a group and move it into place. "And", hyphens, commas and currency words are ignored, so "forty-six thousand pounds only" gives 46,000.
Can it convert lakh and crore?
Yes. "Twelve lakh fifty thousand" becomes 1,250,000 and "two crore" becomes 20,000,000. The number-to-words side also shows the Indian form on every number page above one hundred thousand.
Does it understand 46k, 1.2M or 2bn?
Yes. k means thousand, M or mn means million and bn means billion, so 46k is 46,000, 1.2M is 1,200,000 and 2bn is 2,000,000,000.
What is the largest number it converts?
Every whole number from 0 up to 999,999,999,999 – nine hundred and ninety-nine billion, nine hundred and ninety-nine million, nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine.
Is my data sent anywhere?
No. The conversion runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is stored or transmitted.