Quick answer: 1,250 in words is "one thousand two hundred and fifty" in English and ألف ومائتان وخمسون in Arabic; the tool writes any whole number up to 999,999,999,999 the same way.
How it's calculated
The number is split into groups of three digits (billions, millions, thousands and the rest) and each group is written in words. In Arabic the groups are joined with و; in English they follow one another, with "and" after a hundred and before a last part under 100.
Arabic numbers are not read digit by digit. The word after a number changes with that number: ألف for 1, ألفان for 2, ثلاثة آلاف for 3 to 10, أحد عشر ألفاً for 11 to 99, and مائة ألف from 100. The same rule decides how riyals, dirhams or dinars are written after an amount.
Plain numbers are counted as masculine, the default in Arabic (ثلاثة، ثلاثة عشر). With a feminine noun such as هللة or بيسة the forms of 1–2 and 3–19 change, as the table below shows.
Writing money? Each Gulf currency has its own page with its unit and decimals, for example tafqit in Saudi riyals and tafqit in UAE dirhams. To count the words in a text, use the word counter.
Worked examples
- 1,250 (thousands, hundreds and tens): ألف ومائتان وخمسون · one thousand two hundred and fifty
- 11,000 (11–99 thousand takes ألفاً): أحد عشر ألفاً · eleven thousand
- 2,000,000 (two of anything is a dual): مليونان · two million
- 305,002 (a number ending in 2): ثلاثمائة وخمسة آلاف واثنان · three hundred and five thousand and two
Arabic number and noun agreement
The noun takes its form from the last number before it. In the table, ريال is masculine and هللة and بيسة are feminine.
| Number | Rule | Masculine noun | Feminine noun |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Noun, then واحد / واحدة | ريال واحد | هللة واحدة |
| 2 | Dual noun, no number word | ريالان | هللتان |
| 3–10 | Opposite gender, plural noun | ثلاثة ريالات | ثلاث هللات |
| 11–12 | Both parts agree, singular accusative | أحد عشر ريالاً، اثنا عشر ريالاً | إحدى عشرة هللة، اثنتا عشرة هللة |
| 13–19 | Units opposite, عشر agrees, singular accusative | ثلاثة عشر ريالاً | ثلاث عشرة هللة |
| 20–99 | Singular accusative | خمسة وعشرون ريالاً | خمس وعشرون هللة |
| 100, 1,000 … | Singular genitive | مائة ريال، ألف ريال | مائة بيسة |
Conventions this tool uses
- Hundred is spelled مائة, the usual spelling on cheques and in accounting, and joined to 3–9: ثلاثمائة، تسعمائة. Two hundred is مائتان, or مائتا when a noun follows (مائتا ريال، مائتا ألف).
- Tanween is written only where the accusative needs an alif: ألفاً، مليوناً، ريالاً. Nouns ending in ة are written plain. No other vowel marks.
- و is joined to the next word: ألف ومائتان وخمسون. Units come before tens: خمسة وعشرون.
- When 1 or 2 ends a longer number, it is written as a number: مائة وواحد، ألف واثنان, and with money مائة وواحد ريال. Grammar books also accept مائة ريال وريال, but cheques almost always use the first form.
- Large numbers use ألف، مليون، مليار (a thousand million), up to 999,999,999,999. The text is in the nominative.
Amounts in Gulf currencies
- Saudi riyal: 100 halalas; هللة is feminine (ثلاث هللات).
- UAE dirham: 100 fils; both nouns are masculine (ثلاثة دراهم، ثلاثة فلوس).
- Qatari riyal: 100 dirhams.
- Kuwaiti dinar, Bahraini dinar: 1,000 fils, three decimals.
- Omani rial: 1,000 baisa; بيسة is feminine.
Frequently asked questions
How do you write 1,000,000 in Arabic words?
مليون. Two million is مليونان, 3 to 10 million take the plural (ثلاثة ملايين), and 11 million and up take مليوناً (أحد عشر مليوناً).
Is it مائة or مئة?
Both are correct. مئة is the modern spelling; مائة, with an alif that is not pronounced, is still the common form on cheques and in Gulf accounting, so this tool uses it.
Why is it ثلاثة آلاف and not ثلاث آلاف?
From 3 to 10 the number takes the opposite gender of the noun. ألف is masculine, so the number has the feminine ending: ثلاثة آلاف، عشرة آلاف.
Does the English use "and"?
Yes, in the British style common in the Gulf: "two hundred and five", "one thousand and five". American usage often leaves the "and" out.
Can I convert decimals or money?
This page writes whole numbers. For an amount with halalas, fils or baisa, use the page for that currency, such as Saudi riyal tafqit, which also has a cheque style.
Is the amount I enter sent or saved?
No. The words are generated in your browser, and nothing you type leaves your device or appears in the address bar.