Ordinal numbers in English: list, rules and examples

In brief

  • General rule: add -th to the cardinal number. four → fourth, six → sixth.
  • Three absolute irregulars: one → first, two → second, three → third.
  • Spelling irregulars: five → fifth, eight → eighth, nine → ninth, twelve → twelfth.
  • Tens ending in -y: the y becomes ie before -th. twenty → twentieth, forty → fortieth.
  • Compound numbers: only the last digit takes the ordinal form. twenty-three → twenty-third.
  • Abbreviations: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, then -th for all that follow (4th, 5th…).

Ordinal numbers indicate a position or rank in a series. They are used for dates, floors, centuries, rankings, fractions, and many everyday expressions. The formation follows a main rule with a small group of exceptions to memorize.

Complete list from 1 to 20

The first twenty ordinals contain all the important irregularities. From the 21st onward, the forms become entirely predictable.

Number Cardinal Ordinal Abbreviation Translation
1 one first 1st first
2 two second 2nd second
3 three third 3rd third
4 four fourth 4th fourth
5 five fifth 5th fifth
6 six sixth 6th sixth
7 seven seventh 7th seventh
8 eight eighth 8th eighth
9 nine ninth 9th ninth
10 ten tenth 10th tenth
11 eleven eleventh 11th eleventh
12 twelve twelfth 12th twelfth
13 thirteen thirteenth 13th thirteenth
14 fourteen fourteenth 14th fourteenth
15 fifteen fifteenth 15th fifteenth
16 sixteen sixteenth 16th sixteenth
17 seventeen seventeenth 17th seventeenth
18 eighteen eighteenth 18th eighteenth
19 nineteen nineteenth 19th nineteenth
20 twenty twentieth 20th twentieth

Formation rules

General rule: add -th

For the vast majority of numbers, simply add -th to the cardinal: four → fourth, six → sixth, seven → seventh, ten → tenth, eleven → eleventh.

Spelling transformations

Six numbers change their spelling before accepting the suffix. Each transformation follows precise phonetic logic.

Cardinal Ordinal What changes
one first Completely different form
two second Completely different form
three third Completely different form
five fifth The ve becomes f
eight eighth Add -h (no extra t, just one t)
nine ninth The final e drops
twelve twelfth The ve becomes f

Tens ending in -y

For tens that end in -y (twenty, thirty, forty…), the y transforms to ie before -th.

Cardinal Ordinal Abbreviation
twenty twentieth 20th
thirty thirtieth 30th
forty fortieth 40th
fifty fiftieth 50th
sixty sixtieth 60th
seventy seventieth 70th
eighty eightieth 80th
ninety ninetieth 90th

Compound numbers

For a compound number (21, 33, 45…), only the last element takes the ordinal form. The tens remain cardinal.

twenty-one → twenty-first (21st)
twenty-two → twenty-second (22nd)
thirty-three → thirty-third (33rd)
forty-fifth → forty-fifth (45th)
sixty-eighth → sixty-eighth (68th)
one hundred and first → 101st

List from 21 to 1,000

Number Ordinal Number Ordinal
21 twenty-first 22 twenty-second
23 twenty-third 24 twenty-fourth
25 twenty-fifth 30 thirtieth
31 thirty-first 40 fortieth
50 fiftieth 60 sixtieth
70 seventieth 80 eightieth
90 ninetieth 100 hundredth
101 hundred and first 1,000 thousandth

Abbreviations; 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th

In writing, ordinals are abbreviated by attaching the last two letters of the word to the number. The first three have distinct abbreviations; from the 4th onward, it is always th.

Ordinal Abbreviation Last two letters
first 1st st
second 2nd nd
third 3rd rd
fourth 4th th
fifth 5th th
twelfth 12th th
twenty-first 21st st
twenty-second 22nd nd
twenty-third 23rd rd
hundred and first 101st st

The logic also applies to large numbers; 21st, 31st, 41st… always end in st because their last word is first. Similarly, 22nd, 32nd, 42nd… end in nd.

Common error: writing 12th as 12nd or 12rd. The number 12 is said twelfth, not twelverd. The abbreviation always follows the last two letters of the complete word. Twelfth ends in th, so 12th.

Uses of ordinal numbers

Dates

Spoken aloud, dates always use an ordinal in English. In writing, practices differ by country.

British English American English Translation
the 4th of July / 4 July July 4th / July 4 July 4th
the 1st of January January 1st January 1st
the 25th of December December 25th December 25th

Spoken aloud, both variants say the date the same way; the fourth of July or July the fourth. The number alone (4 July) is used only in writing, never spoken.

Floors

In British English, the ground floor is the ground floor. The first floor is therefore the first floor. In American English, the ground floor is the first floor, and what the British call the first floor is the second floor for Americans.

The office is on the third floor. ; The office is on the third floor. (UK; 3rd above ground level)
Take the elevator to the fifth floor. ; Take the elevator to the fifth floor.
We live on the ground floor. ; We live on the ground floor. (UK)

Centuries

Centuries are expressed with an ordinal. The 21st century in English is the twenty-first century, often abbreviated the 21st century.

the fifteenth century ; the 15th century
the nineteenth century ; the 19th century
the twenty-first century ; the 21st century

Kings, queens, and popes

Roman numerals accompanying the names of sovereigns are read as ordinals aloud.

Henry VIII is said Henry the Eighth
Elizabeth II is said Elizabeth the Second
Louis XIV is said Louis the Fourteenth
John Paul II is said John Paul the Second

Rankings and positions

She finished first in the race. ; She finished first in the race.
Our team came third overall. ; Our team finished third overall.
He ranked twenty-second in the competition. ; He ranked twenty-second in the competition.
This is the third time I’ve called. ; This is the third time I’m calling.

Ordinals in fractions

In English, fractions are formed with a cardinal for the numerator and an ordinal for the denominator. As soon as the numerator is greater than 1, the ordinal takes an s.

Fraction English Note
1/2 a half Irregular form, no ordinal
1/3 a third Singular ordinal
1/4 a quarter Irregular form, or a fourth
2/3 two thirds Plural ordinal
3/4 three quarters Common form, or three fourths
1/5 a fifth Singular ordinal
3/5 three fifths Plural ordinal
7/10 seven tenths Plural ordinal
Two thirds of the students passed. ; Two thirds of the students passed.
She ate three quarters of the cake. ; She ate three quarters of the cake.
Four fifths of the work is done. ; Four fifths of the work is done.

Ordinals as adverbs

Ordinals are also used as adverbs to structure a discourse or list of arguments. They are often found in presentations, essays, and explanations.

First, preheat the oven. ; First, preheat the oven.
Secondly, add the flour. ; Secondly, add the flour.
Finally, bake for 30 minutes. ; Finally, bake for 30 minutes.

In this usage, first and firstly are both correct. Second and secondly are as well. From the third rank onward, the -ly form (thirdly, fourthly) is more formal and mainly written. Spoken aloud, third, fourth or connectors like then, next, finally are preferred.

Practical exercise

Test your knowledge of English ordinal numbers:

Question 1. What is the correct ordinal form of eight?




Eight already ends in t. You only add -h, without doubling the t, which gives eighth. This is one of the most common pitfalls; eightth with two ts is a frequent error. Eighteenth corresponds to 18, and eightieth to 80.

Question 2. How do you write the ordinal of twenty?




When a number ends in -y, that y transforms to ie before -th. Twenty thus gives twentieth. This rule applies to all tens; thirty → thirtieth, forty → fortieth, and so on.

Question 3. What is the correct form for “33rd”?




In a compound number, only the last element takes the ordinal form. The tens remain cardinal; thirty (not thirtieth). The last digit is 3, whose ordinal is third. This gives thirty-third.

Question 4. How do you say “July 4th” aloud in American English?




Spoken aloud, dates always use an ordinal. In American English, the order is month + ordinal; July the fourth or July fourth. The form July four with a cardinal is not used spoken. The fourth of July (British order) is also understood and correct.

Question 5. What fraction corresponds to three fifths?




Fractions are formed with a cardinal (numerator) + an ordinal (denominator). Three is the numerator (3) and fifths is the ordinal of 5 in plural (because the numerator is greater than 1). The fraction is therefore 3/5.

Question 6. How is Henry VIII pronounced in English?




Roman numerals accompanying the names of sovereigns are read as ordinals, preceded by the; Henry the Eighth. Likewise; Elizabeth the Second, Louis the Fourteenth, Charles the Third.

Question 7. What abbreviation is correct for “twenty-second”?




Twenty-second ends in -nd. The abbreviation uses the last two letters of the complete word; 22nd. The same logic applies to 32nd, 42nd, 52nd, 62nd, 72nd, 82nd, 92nd.


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