Learning English

Eigth, eigthth, eighth?

As you heard in 6 Minute Vocabulary, spelling some ordinal numbers can be tricky. Take another look at our guidelines, and then try our spelling quiz.

문서 읽고 엑티비티를 하세요

Spelling

1. We usually form ordinal numbers by adding the suffix -th to cardinal numbers:

• four - fourth
• eleven - eleventh
• thirty-seven - thirty-seventh

2. If we are writing using numbers, which we often do for dates and numbers over 10, we simply add the suffix -th to the number:

• 4th
• 11th
• 37th

3. One, two and three have irregular forms:

• first, second, third
• 1st, 2nd, 3rd

4. So do five, eight, nine, and twelve:

• fifth, eighth, ninth, twelfth
• 5th, 8th, 9th, 12th

5. Numbers ending in -y have irregular spellings. They drop the -y and replace it with -ieth:

• twentieth, fortieth, seventieth

6. Large numbers also follow this pattern:

• the hundredth time
• the thousandth man
• every billionth customer

To do

Do you remember all those rules? Prove your spelling power in our quiz.

Next

Well done. Now it's time to test how well you know how to use ordinals in dates, and how to use them with articles and possessives. Ready?