# 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:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/41 "2013-10-05T07:58:44Z")
Yeah, I still mostly say two thousand and thirteen (Brit here) - I’m sure as time passes, I’ll switch to the more consistent twenty thirteen style. For example, I’m sure if I’m still around in 2024, I’ll be saying “twenty twenty-four” at that point. It just takes time to bed in. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/42 "2013-10-05T08:20:02Z")
Around here, people seemed to hang on until this year, but now they all say twenty-X. What’s funny is that most do it retroactively. Heck, I still said two thousand ten back in 2010, probably due to a ten year habit, but now that just sounds silly to me. As for the “and” thing, I think the decimal idea is floated by well-meaning teachers, but that’s not really the problem. It’s that you might think think it’s 20 and 5 instead of 25. Granted, in real life, it would always be clear what was meant, but many teachers are all about teaching a single correct way of doing things, and the version without the “and” is at least slightly less ambiguous. It’s just conflation with teaching the “proper” way to refer to decimals, which does involve the use of the word “and.” But I’m pretty sure that proper way was almost entirely made up. I can only see it being used in the same context as something like “In the year of our Lord, one thousand, nine hundred twenty five.” Seriously, who ever used “two hundred and five tenths” instead of “two hundred point five”? ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/43 "2013-10-05T13:21:04Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Seriously, who ever used “two hundred and five tenths”? No one. They’d say two and a half.😃 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/44 "2013-10-05T14:17:41Z")
I’m actually surprised by this thread at how rare it appears to be for Americans to use “and” in such numbers. In my experience, it’s not that uncommon. In another thread, I linked to the Disney commercial for 101 Dalmatians where they say “One hundred and one.” To say “The year two thousand and twelve” doesn’t set off any bells for me. I would (and have heard others) call it “two thousand and one space odyssey.” ---
**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, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/45 "2013-10-05T22:59:56Z")
> [@Glazer](#): > > No one. They’d say two and a half.😃 What happened to the other 198? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350/46 "2013-10-06T20:44:21Z")
> [@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. Never hear Irish people saying “Two thousand thirteen”. Main one I use and hear is “Twenty thirteen”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-2013/670350.md?page=2)