Number DigitFrench number words
Number to French Words Converter
Write numbers in French as used in France, with traditional spelling and the long scale. The interface and explanations are in English.
Enter a number to see its French words. Whole numbers open their own reference page.
French spelling rules
Seventy, eighty and ninety
French used in France builds 70 from sixty and ten: soixante-dix. Eighty is quatre-vingts; ninety is quatre-vingt-dix. In 71, use soixante et onze. There is no et in 81 or 91.
When cent and vingt take s
Exact multiples such as 200 and 80 end in deux cents and quatre-vingts. A following number removes the s: 201 is deux cent un. Before mille, write deux cent mille; before the noun million, write deux cents millions.
Traditional spelling and scope
This tool uses traditional spaces and hyphens: vingt et un and cent vingt-trois. The 1990 spelling recommendations also allow broader hyphenation; this version does not switch between the two conventions. It returns standalone cardinals, not feminine noun phrases, ordinals, money wording or regional septante/nonante forms.
Decimals and large numbers
Decimal digits are read one at a time after virgule, preserving zeros: 12,05 becomes douze virgule zéro cinq. No rounding is applied. A negative value starts with moins. The long scale uses million at 10⁶, milliard at 10⁹ and billion at 10¹².
Questions and answers
What does 1,234 mean in this converter?
A comma or point is a decimal mark, so 1,234 means 1.234. Enter 1 234 or 1234 for one thousand two hundred thirty-four.
Does it use French from France?
Yes. It uses soixante-dix, quatre-vingts and quatre-vingt-dix. Belgian and Swiss regional alternatives are not selected here.
Which numbers are supported?
The whole-number part supports up to 999,999,999,999,999, with an optional minus sign and up to 12 decimal digits read individually.
Does it support feminine nouns or money amounts?
The output is a standalone cardinal form. Feminine noun agreement, currency wording, ordinals and fractions are outside this converter’s scope.
Method and sources
The converter combines fixed French vocabulary with rules for tens, hundreds and three-digit scale groups. It processes the input as text to preserve digits. These references explain the rules; they do not certify this tool.