Ordinal numbers in English

English ordinal numbers are used to place or order, such as 1st or 2nd. To know how to speak to everyone, you need to learn some rules, check it out!


Do you remember the first word you could understand without having to ask for help in English class? Yeah, one of the best things about when we're learning English is to notice our progress and development in language mastery.

But do you know how you would talk to someone in English about the first, second, or third word you understand?

Weekdays in EnglishYou've already learned here about how to speak the cardinal numbers in English, which are widely used in everyday life to check the time in the language or dial telephone numbers, for example.

When we want to order the things we're talking about, we use ordinal numbers. In English, ordinal numbers are much easier to remember than in Portuguese and you'll find out why. Check out:

English ordinal numbers in Portuguese, we use an indicator after the number to be able to say that it is ordinal, for example, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. In English, ordinal numbers are represented by letters at the end. The first three numbers are the only ones different from the rest. You may also be interested to learn about

1st - First
2nd – Second
3rd - Third

“Hello” was the first word I learned in English. – “Hello” was the first word I learned in English.

He got second place in the match. – He got second place in the game.

This is the third time I am speaking. – This is the third time I'm talking.

After the third, English ordinal numbers are represented by the –the ending. Note how the numbers 5th and 9th undergo changes in word-formation. 

You may also be interested to learn about English irregular verbs

4th – Fourth

5th – Fifth

6th – Sixth

7th – Seventh

8th – Eight

9th - Ninth

10th – Tenth

11th - Eleventh

12th – Twelfth

13th – Thirteenth

14th – Fourteenth

15th – Fifteenth

16th – Sixteenth

17th – Seventeenth

18th – Eighteenth

19th – Nineteenth

20th – Twentieth

Today is her sixteenth birthday. – Today is her sixteenth birthday.

I live on the twentieth floor. – I live on the twentieth floor.

For tens such as twenty, thirty, and forty, the ordinal numbers undergo a spelling change: they lose the –y and add –it. Look:


30th – Thirtieth

40th - Fort

50th – Fiftieth

60th – Sixtieth

70th – Seventieth

80th – Eightieth

90th h - Ninetieth

For “broken” numbers from the 20th on, just pass the second number to the ordinal. Check out:

21 st - Twenty-first

32nd – Thirty-second

43rd - Forty-third

54th – Fifty-fourth

65th – Sixty-fifth

289th – Two hundred and eighty-ninth

Did you get it? Easy, isn't it? Also, check out how to use ordinal numbers to talk about dates in English.

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