Use Ordinary Numbers

Learn how touseordinalnumbersin English with clear grammar rules, common usage, and examples. Includes a full list from 1st to 100th, ...

Learn the definition of ordinalnumbers, how they differ from cardinalnumbers, and how to write them correctly, with examples.

An ordinalnumberindicates the position or order of something in relation to othernumbers, like, first, second, third, and so on. Learn more about ordinalnumberswith concepts, definitions, properties, patterns, and examples.

Numberscan often present different style questions in American English. When should we spell them, and when shouldn't we? In particular, what are ordinalnumbersand what are cardinalnumbers, and how do we treat them? Mastering these distinctions will refine your precision in your daily writing. For this discussion, we'll review style guidance from

Ordinalnumbersare used to place things in order or in sequence. You mightuseordinalnumbersto describe the position of runners in a race or describe the sequence of classes for your day, but there are otherusesfor them as well.

Moving forward, it's essential to keep these visual contexts in mind when discussing Use Ordinary Numbers.

Where do weuseOrdinalNumbers? Weuseordinalnumbersin our day-to-day lives. In competitions, the top three positions are first, second and third! In an elevator, we press a button to go to the sixth floor! We alsouseordinalnumbersto give instructions - first step, second step, and so on! A recipe for making pancakes might begin with "First, melt butter. Second, warm some milk ...

What are ordinalnumbers? Master the rules for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Learn the "teen" exceptions, see our 1-100 ordinal chart, and find out why 11th isn't "11st." Perfect for students and writers.