Read and write numbers in millions

Use place-value periods to read and record whole numbers up to ten million.

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Keep groups of three digits together

Write 6 042 305 with spaces between the millions, thousands and ones groups. Read six million, forty-two thousand, three hundred and five. The zero in the hundred-thousands place matters: 6,402,305 is a different number.

MillionsHundred thousandsTen thousandsThousandsHundredsTensOnes
6042305

The digit 4 has value 40,000. The digit 3 has value 300. Ten groups of one million make ten million, written 10,000,000. Do not put a decimal point between the periods: this is a whole-number count.

Build a number from words

For two million, seven thousand and eighteen, write each group: 2 | 007 | 018. The number is 2,007,018. Each group after the first needs three digit places, including zeros. Writing 2,718 loses the millions.

Expand it as 2 000 000 + 7 000 + 10 + 8. Recombining the parts checks that every spoken value was included once.

Check your understanding 1 Which zero was lost?

A learner writes “four million and fifty-six” as 4,056. Correct the number and explain how you know.

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It is 4,000,056: 4 million, 0 thousands and 56 ones. The written 4,056 would mean four thousand and fifty-six.

Try in reverse

Write 9,080,400 in words. Then write “nine million, eight hundred and four” in digits. Explain why they are different.

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9,080,400 is nine million, eighty thousand, four hundred. Nine million, eight hundred and four is 9,000,804. The group after the millions records thousands, not hundreds.

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