# How do you pronounce 2013? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 4, 2013, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350 "2013-10-04T13:51:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/21 "2013-10-04T16:14:06Z")
Twenty-thirteen. Mainly because, as point out above, that the same way we said pre-2000 years. It’s also the same way you say addresses in Chicago (“it’s at twenty-thirteen North Clark”) ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/22 "2013-10-04T16:16:57Z")
Twenty-thirteen. And twenty-twelve and twenty-eleven and twenty-ten. I usually just say oh four or oh five for the earlier years. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/23 "2013-10-04T16:32:55Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > I’ve pronounced the post-2000 dates both ways, depending on the context. In conversation, I prefer to say and hear “twenty-thirteen” (unless it’s actually twenty-eleven we’re talking about, of course). > > In any kind of “technical” talk, such as planning or financial discussion, I usually say “two thousand eleven/twelve/thirteen” because it seems more precise. +1 ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/24 "2013-10-04T16:57:51Z")
What’s the most precise way to refer to 1985? ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/25 "2013-10-04T17:14:53Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > What’s the most precise way to refer to 1985? I don’t know, but I wonder if Paul McCartney still sings it in concerts. ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/26 "2013-10-04T17:34:51Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > If you think that is really a rule, you are going to have problems communicating with a lot of the rest of the English speaking world. As **Martini Enfield** points out, British and Australian, and probably most other English speaking peoples (I don’t know about Canadians) _never_ use forms like “two thousand thirteen” to refer to the number 2013, but always put in the “and”. > > Also, like **pulykamell** , I cannot recall ever hearing someone, American or otherwise, use something of the form “two thousand and thirteen” to mean 2000.13, or, if they did, I most certainly misunderstood them. Although I am British born, I think my American English is pretty good. > > Personally, as a British person, I would generally call the _year_ “twenty thirteen” (unless I was deliberately trying to sound sententious), and the _number_, “two thousand and thirteen” (which I would write as “2,013”). However, I am aware that the standard, idiomatic American way to say the number is “two thousand thirteen”. Well, considering, I think I’m ok. I don’t have the money to travel abroad, after all! It’s not like I’d fight people over it or even point it out. Like what, do you think I act out on arbitrary language rules? I’m not going to go visit England and graffiti over every “socialising” with “socializing”. I realize there’s tons of differences that I probably don’t even know about. And yes, I really would append “cents”, “ounces”, “gallons” etc for whatever thing I was referring to with a decimal point. It’s just the teacher’s point was not saying it fully and correctly every time could possibly result in confusion, and you don’t want silly things like someone mishearing $1.20 for $120. Sometimes kids would mealymouth a “five thousand, three hundredn’ fifty-six” and the teacher was on them like a laser beam. So I learned it well. Maybe I was taught incorrectly but I don’t really see any reason to change on such a small point. I rather like the idea of “and” meaning a decimal point as a personal thing. I won’t fight anyone to say THEY have to change. I just understand now why some USA people didn’t follow the rule. Probably were never taught that way! Didn’t realize it was probably just a quirk of my teacher or something. Also I’ll change to the standard “nineteen-twenty” type of phrasing when we get to a year that doesn’t start with 20 🙂 I don’t expect to be alive for it. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/27 "2013-10-04T19:59:32Z")
The only proper way to refer to the calendar year is “Two thousands, no hundreds, one ten and three ones”. Not really. Twentythirteen. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/28 "2013-10-04T20:12:02Z")
Not to be picky, but isn’t it really 40 AC (Anno Cecil) ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/29 "2013-10-04T20:17:40Z")
It’s pronounced “Throatwarbler Mangrove” ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/30 "2013-10-04T20:26:46Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’ve heard some people say they were taught that way, and that just seems weird to me. I have never heard anyone say “two thousand and thirteen” to mean anything but “2013.” “$2000.13” would be “two thousand dollars and thirteen cents.” (And, yes, I’m American.) Is it really common anywhere to say numbers in this manner? Do you say “5.32” as “five and thirty two”? Only if you put a modifier on the end. Five and thirty two hundredths or two thousand and thirteen cents. Otherwise it just sounds wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/31 "2013-10-04T20:27:34Z")
According to my Eternal September calendar today is September 7339th, 1993. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/32 "2013-10-04T20:41:10Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Twenty-thirteen. Mainly because, as point out above, that the same way we said pre-2000 years. It’s also the same way you say addresses in Chicago (“it’s at twenty-thirteen North Clark”) Yeah, but we also say stuff like “It’s in the twenty-hundred block of North Clark” which sounds dang weird to non-Chicagoans. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/33 "2013-10-04T21:28:39Z")
I say two thousand thirteen. Twenty thirteen sounds to me like military time. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/34 "2013-10-04T23:50:39Z")
I thought it was agreed\*, against my own personal opinion, that everyone was going to use “twenty-” but it surprises and pleases me that so many people haven’t committed to it after all. \*I can’t remember why or where I would’ve thought this, but it genuinely seemed like that was how it was going to pan out ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/35 "2013-10-04T23:59:03Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > It’s pronounced “Throatwarbler Mangrove” No. It is pronounced “[Throat **wobbler** Mangrove](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehKGlT2EW1Q)”. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/36 "2013-10-05T01:19:36Z")
Same way I pronounce 1913, just change the 19 to 20, duh. Any other way would be dumb IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/37 "2013-10-05T01:20:06Z")
This discussion is reminding me of the old joke about the old Marine at the banquet. A young lady says he looks awful tense, and how long has it been since he’s had sex? He says, “Not since nineteen fifty, ma’am.” So she drags him into a closet and blows him. Then she coquettishly asks him how he managed to go so long without sex. He looks at his watch and says, “It’s only twenty-one hundred now, ma’am. I can usually go that long without any trouble.” ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/38 "2013-10-05T07:21:41Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > So I guess nobody uses the ‘‘and.’’ I do. I pronounce the year as “Two thousand _and_ thirteen” but I haven’t answered the poll, because (as I said earlier) the US vs Commonwealth pronunciation differences are totally different kettles of fish and shouldn’t be lumped together. Interesting historical note, though: I have a CD produced by the BBC about the history of the early 20th century as it was recorded at the time (or with later interviews from people who were there at the time) and it has several people talking about dates in the early 20th century as (for example) “Nineteen hundred and fifteen”, instead of the “Nineteen-Fifteen” pretty much everyone would refer to nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/39 "2013-10-05T07:50:25Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > The American “Two thousand thirteen” and the British/Commonwealth “Two thousand _and_ thirteen” pronunciations are totally different kettles of fish and really should be seperate poll options IMHO… In a way, this imaginary rule/distinction has already been addressed in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=685556). It’s not about Commonwealth vs. American. You’ll find diplomas and wedding invitations in both Canada and the U.S. that do it either way. And you’ll find people in either Ireland, for example who say it either way. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/40 "2013-10-05T07:55:05Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > In a way, this imaginary rule/distinction has already been addressed in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=685556). It’s not about Commonwealth vs. American. You’ll find diplomas and wedding invitations in both Canada and the U.S. that do it either way. And you’ll find people in either Ireland, for example who say it either way. I was employing a form of shorthand in the sense if I said “The British way” people from places like Australia would be in to say “We say it that way too, it’s not just the poms!” and if I said “The non-US way” there’d be people from Mozambique or somewhere equally exotic saying “We pronounce it that way too!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350.md?page=3)