Ordinal Numbers In English | Usage And Examples
English ordinal numbers are numbers that indicate a position or order of things and objects. They are numbers such as 1st (first), 2nd (second), 3rd (third), 4th (fourth), and so on. A cardinal number, on the other hand, refers to numbers that indicate how many of something there are. For example, 1 (one), 2 (two), 3 (three), etc. On this page, you will find a list of ordinal numbers in English with the correct English spelling. There are also some useful ordinal number examples, and examples of when to use ordinal numbers in English.
Related: Ordinal Numbers PowerPoint
Ordinal Numbers List 1-100
- 1st – first
- 2nd – second
- 3rd – third
- 4th – fourth
- 5th – fifth
- 6th – sixth
- 7th – seventh
- 8th – eighth
- 9th – ninth
- 10th – tenth
- 11th – eleventh
- 12th – twelfth
- 13th – thirteenth
- 14th – fourteenth
- 15th – fifteenth
- 16th – sixteenth
- 17th – seventh
- 18th – eighteenth
- 19th – nineteenth
- 20th – twentieth
- 21st – twenty first
- 22nd – twenty second
- 23rd – twenty third
- 24th – twenty fourth
- 25th – twenty fifth
- 26th – twenty sixth
- 27th – twenty seventh
- 28th – twenty eighth
- 29th – twenty ninth
- 30th – thirtieth
- 31st – thirty first
- 32nd – thirty second
- 33rd – thirty third
- 34th – thirty fourth
- 35th – thirty fifth
- 36th – thirty sixth
- 37th – thirty seventh
- 38th – thirty eighth
- 39th – thirty ninth
- 40th – fortieth
- 41st – forty first
- 42nd – forty second
- 43rd – forty third
- 44th – forty fourth
- 45th – forty fifth
- 46th – forty sixth
- 47th – forty seventh
- 48th – forty eighth
- 49th – forty ninth
- 50th – fiftieth
- 51st – fifty first
- 52nd – fifty second
- 53rd – fifty third
- 54th – fifty fourth
- 55th – fifty fifth
- 56th – fifty sixth
- 57th – fifty seventh
- 58th – fifty eighth
- 59th – fifty ninth
- 60th – sixtieth
- 61st – sixty first
- 62nd – sixty second
- 63rd – sixty third
- 64th – sixty fourth
- 65th – sixty fifth
- 66th – sixty sixth
- 67th – sixty seventh
- 68th – sixty eighth
- 69th – sixty ninth
- 70th – seventieth
- 71st – seventy first
- 72nd – seventy second
- 73rd – seventy third
- 74th – seventy fourth
- 75th – seventy fifth
- 76th – seventy sixth
- 77th – seventy seventh
- 78th – seventy eighth
- 79th – seventy ninth
- 80th – eightieth
- 81st – eighty first
- 82nd – eighty second
- 83rd – eighty third
- 84th – eighty fourth
- 85th – eighty fifth
- 86th – eighty sixth
- 87th – eighty seventh
- 88th – eighty eighth
- 89th – eighty ninth
- 90th – ninetieth
- 91st – ninety first
- 92nd – ninety second
- 93rd – ninety third
- 94th – ninety fourth
- 95th – ninety fifth
- 96th – ninety sixth
- 97th – ninety seventh
- 98th – ninety eighth
- 99th – ninety ninth
- 100th – one hundredth
When To Use Ordinal Numbers
Order / Position
We use ordinal numbers to show the order or position of things. For example, if you were watching 5 people running in a race, the person winning is in first place and the person in last is in fifth place. In this example, the ordinal numbers are indicating the order/position of the people in the race.
Floors In A Building
Ordinal numbers are used to describe the floors in a building. For example, first floor, second floor, third floor, etc.
School Grade
When describing what grade a student is in at school we use ordinal numbers. For example, ‘She’s in the first grade.‘, ‘He’s in the fifth grade.‘, etc. Note, it is possible to describe a student’s grade by using cardinal numbers in the following way: ‘She’s in grade one.’, ‘He’s in grade five.’, etc.
Date
We use ordinal numbers when telling the date. For example, February 15th 1985, November 12th 1957, etc.
Centuries
When describing a century we use ordinal numbers. For example, 16th century, twenty-first century.
Birthdays and Anniversaires
When describing a particular birthday or anniversary we use ordinal numbers. For example, ‘Her 60th birthday is tomorrow.’, ‘Today is our 5th wedding anniversary.’, etc.
Kings And Queens
The names of Kings and Queens are often written using Roman numerals in English. But when we say the name of the King or Queen we use ordinal numbers. For example, the current Queen of England is Queen Elizabeth II, which is pronounced Queen Elizabeth the second.
Ordinal Numbers Example Sentences
Here are some useful example sentences which use English ordinal numbers:
- My birthday is February 15th.
- The library is on the third floor.
- He’s in the sixth grade.
- I came second in the race.
- Henry III (the eighth) was King of England in the 16th century.
- Next week is my grandma’s 80th birthday.
- January is the first month of the year.
- My brother was first in line to buy the new iphone.
- First, fold the piece of paper in half. Second, fold the piece of paper again.
Related
Thanks for reading. I hope you found these ordinal number examples useful. Before you go, here are some other free resources for teaching numbers in English that you may find useful:
Ordinal Numbers PowerPoint
Numbers PowerPoint
Worksheets For Teaching Numbers
Number Tracing Worksheets
Fun Classroom Games To Teach Numbers