Larger numbers use four columns: thousands, hundreds, tens and ones. Each spoken part names a column, not a new number to write in full. 'Two thousand and five' is 2 in the thousands column and 5 in the ones column, with zeros holding the empty hundreds and tens: 2005. An empty column still needs a 0 to keep the other digits in place — without it, 3040 collapses to 340 and every digit shifts.
Explore this idea with maths tools
Build a number
2 tens + 4 ones = 20 + 4 = 24
Move from 29 to 30. Ten ones become one ten. The amount stays the same when you regroup.
Words to know
- place-holder
- a 0 that keeps an empty column in place
- thousands
- the fourth column from the right
- column
- a place-value position for one digit
Worked examples
two thousand and five
- 1.2 thousands, 0 hundreds, 0 tens, 5 ones.
- 2.2000 + 0 + 0 + 5 = 2005.
= 2005
three thousand and forty
- 1.3 thousands, 0 hundreds, 4 tens, 0 ones.
- 2.3000 + 0 + 40 + 0 = 3040.
= 3040
two thousand three hundred
- 1.2 thousands, 3 hundreds, 0 tens, 0 ones.
- 2.2000 + 300 + 0 + 0 = 2300.
= 2300
For parents
Method: Draw the four columns and drop each spoken part into its column.
What to say: Ask 'which column does that part go in?' and fill empty columns with 0.
Common mistakes:
- Writing 'two thousand and five' as 20005.
- Dropping the internal zero: three thousand and forty as 340.
- Writing each chunk in full: two thousand three hundred as 2000300.