Numbers are essential for counting, ordering, and describing things in English. In this Vocabulary lesson, learning cardinal numbers (1–100) and ordinal numbers (1st–100th) helps you read, write, and speak more accurately. Using them correctly makes everyday communication, like telling dates or positions, much easier. In this blog post, you will explore cardinal and ordinal numbers with examples to practice and use them confidently in English.
Cardinal Numbers Meaning
Cardinal numbers tell us how many things there are. They are also called counting numbers.
Example:
One apple, two apples, three apples.
Examples of Cardinal Numbers
Cardinal numbers start from 1 to 100 (and beyond). Here’s the list of 1-100 examples of cardinal numbers:
| 1 – one | 35 – thirty-five | 68 – sixty-eight |
| 2 – two | 36 – thirty-six | 69 – sixty-nine |
| 3 – three | 37 – thirty-seven | 70 – seventy |
| 4 – four | 38 – thirty-eight | 71 – seventy-one |
| 5 – five | 39 – thirty-nine | 72 – seventy-two |
| 6 – six | 40 – forty | 73 – seventy-three |
| 7 – seven | 41 – forty-one | 74 – seventy-four |
| 8 – eight | 42 – forty-two | 75 – seventy-five |
| 9 – nine | 43 – forty-three | 76 – seventy-six |
| 10 – ten | 44 – forty-four | 77 – seventy-seven |
| 11 – eleven | 45 – forty-five | 78 – seventy-eight |
| 12 – twelve | 46 – forty-six | 79 – seventy-nine |
| 13 – thirteen | 47 – forty-seven | 80 – eighty |
| 14 – fourteen | 48 – forty-eight | 81 – eighty-one |
| 15 – fifteen | 49 – forty-nine | 82 – eighty-two |
| 16 – sixteen | 50 – fifty | 83 – eighty-three |
| 17 – seventeen | 51 – fifty-one | 84 – eighty-four |
| 18 – eighteen | 52 – fifty-two | 85 – eighty-five |
| 19 – nineteen | 53 – fifty-three | 86 – eighty-six |
| 20 – twenty | 54 – fifty-four | 87 – eighty-seven |
| 21 – twenty-one | 55 – fifty-five | 88 – eighty-eight |
| 22 – twenty-two | 56 – fifty-six | 89 – eighty-nine |
| 23 – twenty-three | 57 – fifty-seven | 90 – ninety |
| 24 – twenty-four | 58 – fifty-eight | 91 – ninety-one |
| 25 – twenty-five | 59 – fifty-nine | 92 – ninety-two |
| 26 – twenty-six | 60 – sixty | 93 – ninety-three |
| 27 – twenty-seven | 61 – sixty-one | 94 – ninety-four |
| 28 – twenty-eight | 62 – sixty-two | 95 – ninety-five |
| 29 – twenty-nine | 63 – sixty-three | 96 – ninety-six |
| 30 – thirty | 64 – sixty-four | 97 – ninety-seven |
| 31 – thirty-one | 65 – sixty-five | 98 – ninety-eight |
| 32 – thirty-two | 66 – sixty-six | 99 – ninety-nine |
| 33 – thirty-three | 67 – sixty-seven | 100 – one hundred |
| 34 – thirty-four |
Cardinal Numbers in French
| Number | French Word | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | un | one |
| 2 | deux | two |
| 3 | trois | three |
| 4 | quatre | four |
| 5 | cinq | five |
| 6 | six | six |
| 7 | sept | seven |
| 8 | huit | eight |
| 9 | neuf | nine |
| 10 | dix | ten |
| 11 | onze | eleven |
| 12 | douze | twelve |
| 13 | treize | thirteen |
| 14 | quatorze | fourteen |
| 15 | quinze | fifteen |
| 16 | seize | sixteen |
| 17 | dix-sept | seventeen |
| 18 | dix-huit | eighteen |
| 19 | dix-neuf | nineteen |
| 20 | vingt | twenty |
| 21 | vingt et un | twenty-one |
| 22 | vingt-deux | twenty-two |
| 23 | vingt-trois | twenty-three |
| 24 | vingt-quatre | twenty-four |
| 25 | vingt-cinq | twenty-five |
| 26 | vingt-six | twenty-six |
| 27 | vingt-sept | twenty-seven |
| 28 | vingt-huit | twenty-eight |
| 29 | vingt-neuf | twenty-nine |
| 30 | trente | thirty |
Cardinal Numbers in Spanish
| Number | Spanish Word | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | uno | one |
| 2 | dos | two |
| 3 | tres | three |
| 4 | cuatro | four |
| 5 | cinco | five |
| 6 | seis | six |
| 7 | siete | seven |
| 8 | ocho | eight |
| 9 | nueve | nine |
| 10 | diez | ten |
| 11 | once | eleven |
| 12 | doce | twelve |
| 13 | trece | thirteen |
| 14 | catorce | fourteen |
| 15 | quince | fifteen |
| 16 | dieciséis | sixteen |
| 17 | diecisiete | seventeen |
| 18 | dieciocho | eighteen |
| 19 | diecinueve | nineteen |
| 20 | veinte | twenty |
| 21 | veintiuno | twenty-one |
| 22 | veintidós | twenty-two |
| 23 | veintitrés | twenty-three |
| 24 | veinticuatro | twenty-four |
| 25 | veinticinco | twenty-five |
| 26 | veintiséis | twenty-six |
| 27 | veintisiete | twenty-seven |
| 28 | veintiocho | twenty-eight |
| 29 | veintinueve | twenty-nine |
| 30 | treinta | thirty |
Ordinal Numbers Meaning
Ordinal numbers show the position or order of things. They tell us which one in a sequence.
Example:
First, second, third…
Examples of Ordinal Numbers
Ordinal numbers are written using st, nd, rd, and th at the end. Here’s the list of 1st-100th examples of ordinal numbers:
| 1st – first | 35th – thirty-fifth | 68th – sixty-eighth |
| 2nd – second | 36th – thirty-sixth | 69th – sixty-ninth |
| 3rd – third | 37th – thirty-seventh | 70th – seventieth |
| 4th – fourth | 38th – thirty-eighth | 71st – seventy-first |
| 5th – fifth | 39th – thirty-ninth | 72nd – seventy-second |
| 6th – sixth | 40th – fortieth | 73rd – seventy-third |
| 7th – seventh | 41st – forty-first | 74th – seventy-fourth |
| 8th – eighth | 42nd – forty-second | 75th – seventy-fifth |
| 9th – ninth | 43rd – forty-third | 76th – seventy-sixth |
| 10th – tenth | 44th – forty-fourth | 77th – seventy-seventh |
| 11th – eleventh | 45th – forty-fifth | 78th – seventy-eighth |
| 12th – twelfth | 46th – forty-sixth | 79th – seventy-ninth |
| 13th – thirteenth | 47th – forty-seventh | 80th – eightieth |
| 14th – fourteenth | 48th – forty-eighth | 81st – eighty-first |
| 15th – fifteenth | 49th – forty-ninth | 82nd – eighty-second |
| 16th – sixteenth | 50th – fiftieth | 83rd – eighty-third |
| 17th – seventeenth | 51st – fifty-first | 84th – eighty-fourth |
| 18th – eighteenth | 52nd – fifty-second | 85th – eighty-fifth |
| 19th – nineteenth | 53rd – fifty-third | 86th – eighty-sixth |
| 20th – twentieth | 54th – fifty-fourth | 87th – eighty-seventh |
| 21st – twenty-first | 55th – fifty-fifth | 88th – eighty-eighth |
| 22nd – twenty-second | 56th – fifty-sixth | 89th – eighty-ninth |
| 23rd – twenty-third | 57th – fifty-seventh | 90th – ninetieth |
| 24th – twenty-fourth | 58th – fifty-eighth | 91st – ninety-first |
| 25th – twenty-fifth | 59th – fifty-ninth | 92nd – ninety-second |
| 26th – twenty-sixth | 60th – sixtieth | 93rd – ninety-third |
| 27th – twenty-seventh | 61st – sixty-first | 94th – ninety-fourth |
| 28th – twenty-eighth | 62nd – sixty-second | 95th – ninety-fifth |
| 29th – twenty-ninth | 63rd – sixty-third | 96th – ninety-sixth |
| 30th – thirtieth | 64th – sixty-fourth | 97th – ninety-seventh |
| 31st – thirty-first | 65th – sixty-fifth | 98th – ninety-eighth |
| 32nd – thirty-second | 66th – sixty-sixth | 99th – ninety-ninth |
| 33rd – thirty-third | 67th – sixty-seventh | 100th – one hundredth |
| 34th – thirty-fourth |
Ordinal Numbers in French
| Number | French Word | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | premier / première | first |
| 2nd | deuxième | second |
| 3rd | troisième | third |
| 4th | quatrième | fourth |
| 5th | cinquième | fifth |
| 6th | sixième | sixth |
| 7th | septième | seventh |
| 8th | huitième | eighth |
| 9th | neuvième | ninth |
| 10th | dixième | tenth |
| 11th | onzième | eleventh |
| 12th | douzième | twelfth |
| 13th | treizième | thirteenth |
| 14th | quatorzième | fourteenth |
| 15th | quinzième | fifteenth |
| 16th | seizième | sixteenth |
| 17th | dix-septième | seventeenth |
| 18th | dix-huitième | eighteenth |
| 19th | dix-neuvième | nineteenth |
| 20th | vingtième | twentieth |
| 21st | vingt et unième | twenty-first |
| 22nd | vingt-deuxième | twenty-second |
| 23rd | vingt-troisième | twenty-third |
| 24th | vingt-quatrième | twenty-fourth |
| 25th | vingt-cinquième | twenty-fifth |
| 26th | vingt-sixième | twenty-sixth |
| 27th | vingt-septième | twenty-seventh |
| 28th | vingt-huitième | twenty-eighth |
| 29th | vingt-neuvième | twenty-ninth |
| 30th | trentième | thirtieth |
Ordinal Numbers in Spanish
| Number | Spanish Word | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | primero / primera | first |
| 2nd | segundo / segunda | second |
| 3rd | tercero / tercera | third |
| 4th | cuarto / cuarta | fourth |
| 5th | quinto / quinta | fifth |
| 6th | sexto / sexta | sixth |
| 7th | séptimo / séptima | seventh |
| 8th | octavo / octava | eighth |
| 9th | noveno / novena | ninth |
| 10th | décimo / décima | tenth |
| 11th | undécimo / undécima | eleventh |
| 12th | duodécimo / duodécima | twelfth |
| 13th | decimotercero / decimotercera | thirteenth |
| 14th | decimocuarto / decimocuarta | fourteenth |
| 15th | decimoquinto / decimoquinta | fifteenth |
| 16th | decimosexto / decimosexta | sixteenth |
| 17th | decimoséptimo / decimoséptima | seventeenth |
| 18th | decimoctavo / decimoctava | eighteenth |
| 19th | decimonoveno / decimonovena | nineteenth |
| 20th | vigésimo / vigésima | twentieth |
| 21st | vigésimo primero / vigésima primera | twenty-first |
| 22nd | vigésimo segundo / vigésima segunda | twenty-second |
| 23rd | vigésimo tercero / vigésima tercera | twenty-third |
| 24th | vigésimo cuarto / vigésima cuarta | twenty-fourth |
| 25th | vigésimo quinto / vigésima quinta | twenty-fifth |
| 26th | vigésimo sexto / vigésima sexta | twenty-sixth |
| 27th | vigésimo séptimo / vigésima séptima | twenty-seventh |
| 28th | vigésimo octavo / vigésima octava | twenty-eighth |
| 29th | vigésimo noveno / vigésima novena | twenty-ninth |
| 30th | trigésimo / trigésima | thirtieth |
Cardinal vs Ordinal Numbers
| Use | Cardinal | Ordinal |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | shows quantity | shows position |
| Examples | one, two, three | first, second, third |
| Used for | counting | ranking or order |
| Example Sentence | I have three pens. | This is my third pen. |
Summary on Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers
To learn English numbers easily, remember this:
- Cardinal numbers = for counting
- Ordinal numbers = for order or position
Understanding both helps you speak and write English more clearly and correctly.
FAQs about Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers
What are cardinal numbers in English?
Cardinal numbers are numbers used for counting things. They tell “how many” objects there are, such as one, two, three, or four.
What are ordinal numbers in English?
Ordinal numbers show the position or order of something. Examples include first, second, third, and fourth.
What is the difference between cardinal and ordinal numbers?
Cardinal numbers show quantity (three books), while ordinal numbers show order or rank (third book).
How do you write ordinal numbers from 1 to 10?
They are written as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th.
Why are cardinal and ordinal numbers important in English?
They help describe quantity and order clearly in daily communication, dates, rankings, and lists.
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