Ordinal numbers in English
Sign up for free to get all information about private lessons and our available group courses (A1, A2, B2, B2, C1, C2)
Sign up for freeLesson outline
HideWhat are ordinal numbers?
Ordinal numbers are used to show us how something or someone is ranked on a list and what their exact position is. They are only used to refer to a position but not a quantity which is what we use cardinal numbers for. Majority of the ordinal numbers follow the same structure with the exception from the written version of 1 to 4 as we can see from the table below.
Have a question?
Take online language lessons with a professional teacher
- Native & verified teachers
- Free trial lesson
- Learning materials included
VALENTINA C. 
Lettie M. 
Pamela Z.
Kodjovi Mawulon B. 
Tatiana O. 
PATRICIA E. 
Thabisile Pretty S.
Mthulisi Jabez S. 
Gill M. 
Sharon G. 
Ordinal numbers chart
| Ordinal number | Written form |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| 30th | Thirtieth |
| 40th | Fortieth |
| 50th | Fiftieth |
| 60th | Sixtieth |
| 70th | Seventieth |
| 80th | Eightieth |
| 90th | Ninetieth |
| 100th | One hundredth |
Ordinal numbers examples
- This was from my first marathon.
- I live on the second floor.
- He chose the third dish.
- I need the twenty-sixth piece from the collection.
- His world rank is seventy-eighth.
Ordinal numbers grammar
Ordinal numbers and their written form are rather specific thus it is important to pay attention to ensure the correct form is written.
1. The most special cases are the first three numbers:
| First | Twenty-first | Fifty-first | Two hundred and first |
| Second | Twenty-second | Sixty-second | Three hundred and second |
| Thid | Twenty-third | Sixty-third | Four hundred and twenty-third |
As we can see from the table the form for first, second, and third remains a constant regardless of where it is used in a positional manner.
2. The case of 11, 12, 13: While the ending number of them is the same as the one we discussed in the first example they are exception to the rule and always needs to be written in one specific way.
- Eleventh
- Twelfth
- Thirteenth
Cardinal and ordinal numbers
The main diffrence between the two is that cardinal numbers directly refer to a quantity whereas ordinal numbers only refer to a position but not quantity.
However, the two work hand in hand as excluding the exception all of the other ordinal numbers are formed by adding the suffix -th to the cardinal number.
Example:
| Cardinal number | Ordinal number |
|---|---|
| Seven | Seventh |
| Nine | Ninth |
| Twenty-four | Twenty-fourth |
| Thirty-five | Thirty-fifth |