How this calculator works
English number words build in groups of three digits: units, thousands, millions, billions and trillions. Within a group the hundreds digit takes the word hundred, then the last two digits are read as one compound word such as forty-two. Digits after the decimal point are read one at a time in plain words mode, so 1234.56 becomes one thousand two hundred thirty-four point five six. The cheque form instead reads the whole part with a currency name and the first two decimal places as cents, which is the layout banks expect on the written line.
Formula
Split the number into groups of three digits from the right and read each group followed by its scale word (thousand, million, billion, trillion). Hundreds take the form "<digit> hundred". The final group uses the tens and units words, hyphenated, as in twenty-one. Cheque form = whole part words + currency + cents words.
Worked example
1234.56 reads as one thousand two hundred thirty-four dollars and fifty-six cents in cheque form, and as one thousand two hundred thirty-four point five six in plain words. Negative amounts take the word minus in front, and an amount of exactly one dollar uses the singular dollar.
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Frequently asked questions
Which number scale does this use?
The short scale used in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, where a billion is a thousand million and each new scale is a thousand times the last. The long scale used in some languages makes a billion a million million.
Why does the cheque form use words as well as digits?
Banks treat the written words as the authoritative amount if the words and the figures disagree, which is why the words must be unambiguous and why cents are written out rather than left as a decimal.
Does the converter use and between hundreds and tens?
No. Canadian and American English write one thousand two hundred thirty-four, while British usage often inserts and, as in one thousand two hundred and thirty-four. Both are understood; this page follows the North American form.
Can I convert very large numbers?
The limit is thirteen digits, just under ten trillion, which covers any everyday business amount. Beyond that the scale words would need quadrillion and higher.