Spanish numbers 1–100: patterns and spelling

How it works

Understand the pattern

The forms uno to quince must be learned directly. Sixteen through nineteen combine dieci- with the unit, and twenty-one through twenty-nine combine veinti- with the unit. Written accents appear where normal stress rules would otherwise place the stress incorrectly: dieciséis, veintidós, veintitrés and veintiséis.

From thirty-one onward, use the tens, y, and the unit: treinta y uno, cuarenta y dos. Exact tens contain no y. Cien is exactly one hundred; ciento is used before another number, as in ciento uno.

The essentials

Three rules that clear up the confusion

1. 1

   Learn 1–15 as a core set, then build 16–19 with dieci- and 21–29 with veinti-.

2. 2

   Use y only between tens and units from 31 to 99: sesenta y cuatro, but sesenta.

3. 3

   Uno changes before a masculine noun and may become una before a feminine noun: veintiún libros, veintiuna casas.

Compare

Examples in complete sentences

Common mistakes

What to check before you answer

• 1

  Do not insert y inside the teens or twenties: veinticinco is one word, not veinte y cinco.

• 2

  Remember the written accents in the four commonly accented forms: dieciséis, veintidós, veintitrés and veintiséis.