Un momento…
Diego0 to 15: unique words
These sixteen numbers follow no pattern — you simply have to learn them by heart. They're the building blocks for everything else.
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Spanish numbers
Learn how numbers are built in Spanish: the rules, the θ sound, and dictation drills. Tap any number to hear Diego say it.
How numbers are built
Numbers aren't a list to memorise — they have a structure. Master the rules and you can say almost any number. Tap the examples to hear them.
The orange dot marks the θ (ceta) sound of Spanish from Spain.
16 to 29: contractions with accents
They're written as a single word and many take a written accent: dieciséis, veintidós, veintitrés, veintiséis. Note the θ sound in “dieci-” (die-θi).
From 31 up: split with “y”
From thirty onward, the ten and the unit are joined with “y” (and): treinta y uno, cuarenta y dos, noventa y nueve. (But 16–29 stay as one word.)
Hundreds: cien vs ciento
Plain 100 is “cien”, but 101–199 use “ciento” (ciento uno). And watch the irregulars: quinientos (500), setecientos (700) and novecientos (900) break the pattern.
Mil and millón
You say “mil”, never “un mil”: mil euros. But you do say “un millón”, because millón is a noun: un millón de personas.
Gender agreement
Hundreds and “uno” agree with the noun: doscientas casas (not doscientos) and veintiún euros (uno drops its -o before a masculine noun and gains an accent).
The sound of Spain: the θ (theta)
The θ sound
In Spain, c before e/i and the letter z are pronounced with the θ sound — like the “th” in English think: cero (θero), cinco (θinco), once, doce, trece, catorce, quince, cincuenta and every hundred (doscientos, quinientos…). It's the hallmark of the Spanish of Spain.
Accents from 16 to 29
Several of these numbers carry a written accent when spelled as one word: dieciséis, veintidós, veintitrés, veintiséis. Without the accent they'd be misspelled.
Hear the orders of magnitude
Practise the jump between tens, hundreds, thousands and millions. Tap any one to hear it in Diego's voice.
Tens
Hundreds
Thousands
Millions
Speak Spanish out loud with Diego
Diego is your AI conversation tutor for Spanish. Talk with him live, listen to today's news at your level, and write with instant corrections. He listens, replies out loud, and gently fixes what trips you up.