# Is there a name for this number sequence? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 9, 2025, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-number-sequence/1025537 "2025-12-09T02:10:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-number-sequence/1025537/1 "2025-12-09T02:10:51Z")
Where every entry is repeated the number of times it states? 1 22 333 4444 55555 666666 7777777 88888888… ---
**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:** [December 9, 2025, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-number-sequence/1025537/2 "2025-12-09T02:26:19Z")
Not that I know of. A bit of googling turned up [Smarandache Sequences](https://mathworld.wolfram.com/SmarandacheSequences.html), which I admit I’d never heard of. It did remind me a little of the [Look-and-say sequence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Look-and-say_sequence). ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-number-sequence/1025537/3 "2025-12-09T02:34:17Z")
Here’s its “official” entry in the “official list” of all known mathematically “interesting” integer sequences: **[A002024 - OEIS](https://oeis.org/A002024)**. For more about the sequence catalog itself see **[On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On-Line_Encyclopedia_of_Integer_Sequences)**. In common with the vast majority of mathematically “interesting” sequences, it doesn’t have a recognized name. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-number-sequence/1025537/4 "2025-12-09T03:46:36Z")
I’m not clear on what the sequence in question is. In the OP it looks like you have 8 numbers, where the n-th number contains n digits. But LSL interpreted it as 36 single-digit numbers. If my interpretation is correct, the OEIS sequence is [A000461](https://oeis.org/A000461). ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-number-sequence/1025537/5 "2025-12-09T03:56:05Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > 1 22 333 4444 55555 666666 7777777 88888888… A Google search suggests this is called **“n concatenated n times” sequence** or sometimes called a **Smarandache sequence.** ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-number-sequence/1025537/6 "2025-12-09T03:57:12Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > I’m not clear on what the sequence in question is. - 1 (one “1”) - 22 (two "2"s) - 333 (three "3"s) - 4444 (four "4"s) - 55555 (five "5"s) - …and so on ---
**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:** [December 9, 2025, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-number-sequence/1025537/7 "2025-12-09T12:08:17Z")
I think the question was whether the OP meant **1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, …** or **1, 22, 333, …**. I wasn’t sure either. but either way I didn’t know of a name for it. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-number-sequence/1025537/8 "2025-12-09T13:33:43Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > I’m not clear on what the sequence in question is. In the OP it looks like you have 8 numbers, where the n-th number contains n digits. But LSL interpreted it as 36 single-digit numbers. If my interpretation is correct, the OEIS sequence is [A000461](https://oeis.org/A000461). You’re right. I was wrong. Total brain-fart on my part first thing in the morning before the coffee had sunk in. I glanced at the OP then dove right into the OEIS wanting to be first. Dumbshit move. Sorry to mislead anyone / everyone. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-number-sequence/1025537/9 "2025-12-09T17:37:42Z")
It’s nice to see every freaking number sequence in the universe has a number. I wonder how often someone thinks up a new sequence? Paper money collectors search for numerous sequences in the bill’s serial number but they all have nicknames. Bookend, repeat, radar, binary, staircase, birthday, etc. I have three birthday bills. The last digits of the serial number form a birthday or anniversary date that people might want to own, such as 691975 - June 9th, 1975. If you find the US birthday, 7-4-1776 that would be quite valuable. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-number-sequence/1025537/10 "2025-12-09T19:44:35Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > I wonder how often someone thinks up a new sequence? The [OEIS Welcome](https://oeis.org/wiki/Welcome) page says > During this period, from 1996 to 2009, the database grew by at least 10000 entries per year (18000 new sequences were added in 2009 alone). but I don’t see any more details about its growth or anything more recent.