Seventy two or Seventy-two?

Seventy two or seventy-two?

In this article we show you how to write 72 in English words correctly.

In addition, we provide you with the grammar rule right away. 🙂

Regardless of where they appear in a number, hyphenate all compound numbers between 21 and 99 (not 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90) such as 72. In other words:

Hyphenate all numbers between twenty-one and ninety-nine, except those divisible by ten, even if the compound number is preceded or succeeded by numbers that do not require hyphens.

Thus, the correct spelling of 72 is seventy-two (hyphenated).

Along the same lines:

• 72,000 = seventy-two thousand (hyphenated).
• 72,000,000 = seventy-two million (hyphenated).
• 72,000,000,000 = seventy-two billion (hyphenated).

Seventy-two or Seventy two Spelling

It doesn’t matter which noun follows the adjective, the grammar rule explained above remains in place.

In the examples below the correct spelling is underlined.

Seventy two years or seventy-two years?
Seventy two percent or seventy-two percent?
Seventy two hours or seventy-two hours?

Frequently Asked Questions about Seventy Two

Does seventy two have a hyphen?

Yes, 72 has a hyphen and is spelled correctly as seventy-two.

Do you hyphenate seventy two?

Yes, you put a hyphen between seventy and two: seventy-two.

Does seventy two need a hyphen?

As 72 is a compound number in between 21 and 99 it needs a hyphen; therefore writing 72 in full is seventy-two.

In the table below we show you the correct spelling of some numbers succeeding and precededing 72:

Seventy second or Seventy-second?

In the following examples the correct spelling is underlined.

Seventy second part or seventy-second part?
Seventy second day or seventy-second day?
Seventy second hour or seventy-second hour?

Frequently Asked Questions about Seventy second

• Does seventy second have a hyphen? Yes, the ordinal number for 72 has a hyphen and is spelled correctly as seventy-second.
• Do you hyphenate seventy second? Yes, you put a hyphen between seventy and second: seventy-second.
• Does seventy second need a hyphen? 72 is a compound number in between 21 and 99 which needs a hyphen. Thus, writing 72nd in full is seventy-second.

Seventy second or Seventy-two?

As you already know, 72 as cardinal numeral is seventy-two, and 72 as ordinal numeral is seventy-second.

Thus, the question in the subtitle above mixes two distinguished linguistic concepts and cannot be answered as such.

Observe that you can always check how to spell a number in full correctly using our converter below.

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Spelling: Seventy-two

Summary

As explained by the hyphens-in-numbers rule, 72 = seventy-two.

If you are happy with our information, then you may also be interested in our article seventy-four or seventy four.


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– Article written by Mark, last updated on May 5th, 2023