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Twenty three or Twenty-three?

Twenty three or twenty-three?

In this article we show you how to write 23 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 23. 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 23 is twenty-three (hyphenated).

Along the same lines:
  • 23,000 = twenty-three thousand (hyphenated).
  • 23,000,000 = twenty-three million (hyphenated).
  • 23,000,000,000 = twenty-three billion (hyphenated).

Twenty-three or Twenty three 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.

Twenty three years or twenty-three years?
Twenty three percent or twenty-three percent?
Twenty three hours or twenty-three hours?

Frequently Asked Questions about Twenty Three

Does twenty three have a hyphen?

Yes, 23 has a hyphen and is spelled correctly as twenty-three.

Do you hyphenate twenty three?

Yes, you put a hyphen between twenty and three: twenty-three.

Does twenty three need a hyphen?

As 23 is a compound number in between 21 and 99 it needs a hyphen; therefore writing 23 in full is twenty-three.

In the table below we show you the correct spelling of some numbers succeeding and precededing 23:
NumberName
18eighteen
19nineteen
20twenty
21twenty-one
22twenty-two
23twenty-three
24twenty-four
25twenty-five
26twenty-six
27twenty-seven
28twenty-eight

Twenty third or Twenty-third?

In the following examples the correct spelling is underlined.

Twenty third part or twenty-third part?
Twenty third day or twenty-third day?
Twenty third hour or twenty-third hour?

Frequently Asked Questions about Twenty third

  • Does twenty third have a hyphen? Yes, the ordinal number for 23 has a hyphen and is spelled correctly as twenty-third.
  • Do you hyphenate twenty third? Yes, you put a hyphen between twenty and third: twenty-third.
  • Does twenty third need a hyphen? 23 is a compound number in between 21 and 99 which needs a hyphen. Thus, writing 23rd in full is twenty-third.

Twenty third or Twenty-three?

As you already know, 23 as cardinal numeral is twenty-three, and 23 as ordinal numeral is twenty-third.

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.

English:

American
British

To:

Words
Check
Currency

Letter case:

Sentence case
lowercase
UPPERCASE
Title Case
Spelling: Twenty-three

Summary

As explained by the hyphens-in-numbers rule, 23 = twenty-three.

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


We love to hear your feedback and answer any question about how to correctly write 23 you might have.

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