Read, listen, and have fun with English numbers
How do you say position 1, 2, and 3?
Ordinal Numbers 1st–100th
Meet first, second, and third, then use simple patterns to read ordinal numbers all the way to 100th.
Short answer
What are ordinal numbers?
Ordinal numbers tell the position of a person or thing. Remember first, second, and third. Most numbers from 4 onward use -th, while 11, 12, and 13 are always 11th, 12th, and 13th.
| Ordinal | English words | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | first | |
| 2nd | second | |
| 3rd | third | |
| 4th | fourth | |
| 5th | fifth | |
| 6th | sixth | |
| 7th | seventh | |
| 8th | eighth | |
| 9th | ninth | |
| 10th | tenth | |
| 11th | eleventh | |
| 12th | twelfth | |
| 13th | thirteenth | |
| 14th | fourteenth | |
| 15th | fifteenth | |
| 16th | sixteenth | |
| 17th | seventeenth | |
| 18th | eighteenth | |
| 19th | nineteenth | |
| 20th | twentieth | |
| 21st | twenty-first | |
| 22nd | twenty-second | |
| 23rd | twenty-third | |
| 24th | twenty-fourth | |
| 25th | twenty-fifth | |
| 26th | twenty-sixth | |
| 27th | twenty-seventh | |
| 28th | twenty-eighth | |
| 29th | twenty-ninth | |
| 30th | thirtieth | |
| 31st | thirty-first | |
| 32nd | thirty-second | |
| 33rd | thirty-third | |
| 34th | thirty-fourth | |
| 35th | thirty-fifth | |
| 36th | thirty-sixth | |
| 37th | thirty-seventh | |
| 38th | thirty-eighth | |
| 39th | thirty-ninth | |
| 40th | fortieth | |
| 41st | forty-first | |
| 42nd | forty-second | |
| 43rd | forty-third | |
| 44th | forty-fourth | |
| 45th | forty-fifth | |
| 46th | forty-sixth | |
| 47th | forty-seventh | |
| 48th | forty-eighth | |
| 49th | forty-ninth | |
| 50th | fiftieth | |
| 51st | fifty-first | |
| 52nd | fifty-second | |
| 53rd | fifty-third | |
| 54th | fifty-fourth | |
| 55th | fifty-fifth | |
| 56th | fifty-sixth | |
| 57th | fifty-seventh | |
| 58th | fifty-eighth | |
| 59th | fifty-ninth | |
| 60th | sixtieth | |
| 61st | sixty-first | |
| 62nd | sixty-second | |
| 63rd | sixty-third | |
| 64th | sixty-fourth | |
| 65th | sixty-fifth | |
| 66th | sixty-sixth | |
| 67th | sixty-seventh | |
| 68th | sixty-eighth | |
| 69th | sixty-ninth | |
| 70th | seventieth | |
| 71st | seventy-first | |
| 72nd | seventy-second | |
| 73rd | seventy-third | |
| 74th | seventy-fourth | |
| 75th | seventy-fifth | |
| 76th | seventy-sixth | |
| 77th | seventy-seventh | |
| 78th | seventy-eighth | |
| 79th | seventy-ninth | |
| 80th | eightieth | |
| 81st | eighty-first | |
| 82nd | eighty-second | |
| 83rd | eighty-third | |
| 84th | eighty-fourth | |
| 85th | eighty-fifth | |
| 86th | eighty-sixth | |
| 87th | eighty-seventh | |
| 88th | eighty-eighth | |
| 89th | eighty-ninth | |
| 90th | ninetieth | |
| 91st | ninety-first | |
| 92nd | ninety-second | |
| 93rd | ninety-third | |
| 94th | ninety-fourth | |
| 95th | ninety-fifth | |
| 96th | ninety-sixth | |
| 97th | ninety-seventh | |
| 98th | ninety-eighth | |
| 99th | ninety-ninth | |
| 100th | one hundredth |
SPOT THE ENDING
Four small patterns unlock ordinal numbers.
Start with three special words, watch 11–13, then use the last digit to choose an ending.
Three special words
first, second, third
Most use -th
fourth, sixth, tenth
The teen exception
11th, 12th, 13th
Look at the last digit
21st, 32nd, 43rd, 54th
FIVE-QUESTION PRACTICE
Which ordinal matches this word?
Question 1/5
Practice complete—well done!
0/5
QUICK ANSWERS
Three ordinal answers to remember.
What are 1st, 2nd, and 3rd?
They are first, second, and third. These three words are special, so learn them as a set.
Why is 11 written 11th?
Numbers 11, 12, and 13 always use -th: 11th, 12th, and 13th, even though they end in 1, 2, and 3.
What is the difference between one and first?
One tells how many. First tells position. One runner can finish first in a race.