# Do you call the 20th Century the 1900s?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-call-the-20th-century-the-1900s/989914>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [September 11, 2023, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-call-the-20th-century-the-1900s/989914 "2023-09-11T04:18:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 23

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**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-call-the-20th-century-the-1900s/989914/23 "2023-09-11T13:49:10Z")

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> [@Tibby](#):
>
> I believe we all understand why the century number is a digit higher than the first 2 digits of the year (s) in question, but I don’t like it. Never did. It creates a momentary pause of anxiety whenever discussing a particular year’s century (e.g. _1796…hmm, OK take 17 and add 1…alright, that was in the latter 18th century_). I don’t like having to do complicated math whenever I refer to a century, and I don’t believe I’m alone.

This—and I’ve complained about it before.

> [@Why do we say 18th century?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-say-18th-century/728552/35):
>
> I totally grasp the concept, but I still have to mentally translate: mention the 18th century, and I’ll have to think “Oh that’s the… 19… no wait—the 1700’s. Why couldn’t they just say the 1700’s in the first place, instead of making me figure it out?” So I appreciate this thread’s question.

> [@Tibby](#):
>
> So, I propose that we as a society throw accuracy aside and henceforth refer to the first two digits of the year as the century number. Make it law. We’re now in the 20th century. I was born in the 19th century. Easy peasy.

Oh great—then every time I ran across a reference to the century, I’d have to think about whether it was made before or after your big societal change. One more complication!

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