# Native English Speakers: One Hundred Five or One Hundred and Five

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-english-speakers-one-hundred-five-or-one-hundred-and-five/809806>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [March 1, 2018, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-english-speakers-one-hundred-five-or-one-hundred-and-five/809806 "2018-03-01T08:41:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-english-speakers-one-hundred-five-or-one-hundred-and-five/809806/41 "2018-03-01T17:20:15Z")

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Should there be a comma?

😉

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**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-english-speakers-one-hundred-five-or-one-hundred-and-five/809806/42 "2018-03-01T17:42:51Z")

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I do not use AND  
either one hundred five or I list the numbers IE one-oh-five or say three-five-seven.

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**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-english-speakers-one-hundred-five-or-one-hundred-and-five/809806/43 "2018-03-01T18:05:42Z")

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Fiddy cent

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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:** [March 1, 2018, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-english-speakers-one-hundred-five-or-one-hundred-and-five/809806/44 "2018-03-01T18:09:03Z")

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Actually, shouldn’t one hundred and five = 4?

(assuming we’re talking bitwise and)

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**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-english-speakers-one-hundred-five-or-one-hundred-and-five/809806/45 "2018-03-01T18:09:50Z")

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I put “other”. For me, it can change depending on what I’m quantifying, and how much.

Money, for example: $105 would be “A hundred and five dollars”. “A” instead of “One” and an “And”. $1015 would be “A thousand, fifteen dollars”, “One” used instead of “A” and no “and”. $2000 would be “Two thousand dollars” and often “2K” if it is in even or approximate thousands. $2015 would be “Two thousand fifteen dollars” Inconsistent I know, but it just sounds right to me. However, Pennies would always be prefixed by “And” (e.g. “and fifteen cents.”).

Anything scientific and I’m probably not going to be using “and” as much. And decimal almost always gets a “point”, and commonly “dot” if it is related specifically to computer science.

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**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-english-speakers-one-hundred-five-or-one-hundred-and-five/809806/46 "2018-03-01T18:35:57Z")

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The correct (British) English way to say it is “one hundred and five”, though as noted a lot of British English speakers would say “one hundred ‘n’ five” with no emphasis on the “‘n’” . Any British English speaker would understand “one hundred five”, but it’s not a natural way to say it in British English and would come across as an Americanism.

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**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-english-speakers-one-hundred-five-or-one-hundred-and-five/809806/47 "2018-03-01T20:27:08Z")

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Hundrit 'n five. From USA.

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**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-english-speakers-one-hundred-five-or-one-hundred-and-five/809806/48 "2018-03-01T21:02:50Z")

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> [@galen\_ubal](#):
>
> I don’t use “and” - I recall a teacher being very firm that the “and” indicated a decimal place.

Likewise. I had it drilled into me and don’t use it in the office (commercial estimating; we use a lot of numbers).

That said, if I heard someone else use it, it’s usually fairly obvious what they mean and I don’t think using “and” in casual usage is a terrible sin.

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**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-english-speakers-one-hundred-five-or-one-hundred-and-five/809806/49 "2018-03-01T21:09:31Z")

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> [@TriPolar](#):
>
> American pronunciation - uh hunderd n five

This, basically. I’m an American. If I write the amount $105.00 on a check, though (yes, I still write checks every once in a while :)), I will write “One hundred five and no/100”.

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**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-english-speakers-one-hundred-five-or-one-hundred-and-five/809806/50 "2018-03-01T21:14:18Z")

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> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#):
>
> Fiddy cent

Tree-fiddy. 😃

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-english-speakers-one-hundred-five-or-one-hundred-and-five/809806/51 "2018-03-01T21:25:08Z")

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I am American and used both forms interchangeably. I am well aware that there are some American prescriptivists who claim the “and” is incorrect. I agree with prescriptivists on some points, but in this case I think they’re full of hot air or some other less uplifting substance.

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**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-english-speakers-one-hundred-five-or-one-hundred-and-five/809806/52 "2018-03-01T23:45:08Z")

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Another person taught in school not to say “and.” So, if I’m being formal, or writing out the number longhand (e.g., on the vanishingly few checks I write), it’s “one hundred-five.” In casual conversation, it’s “a hundred ‘n’ five.”

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**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-english-speakers-one-hundred-five-or-one-hundred-and-five/809806/53 "2018-03-01T23:48:45Z")

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> [@Asympotically\_fat](#):
>
> The correct (British) English way to say it is “one hundred and five”, though as noted a lot of British English speakers would say “one hundred ‘n’ five” with no emphasis on the “‘n’” . Any British English speaker would understand “one hundred five”, but it’s not a natural way to say it in British English and would come across as an Americanism.

This is exactly how I expect to hear it (64 year old native Englishman.)

If there is a decimal point, I say "point.’

So 105.6 is pronounced one hundred and five point six.

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**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2018, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-english-speakers-one-hundred-five-or-one-hundred-and-five/809806/54 "2018-03-02T00:08:52Z")

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> [@Jasmine](#):
>
> It’s one hundred five because the decimal point is read as “and”.
> 
> Example: 105.26 - One hundred five and twenty-six one hundredths.

People keep claiming this on the SDMB - well, a few people - and I’ve never heard a normal human say it that way. Literally every person I’ve ever heard say a number like that, in my entire life, thousands of examples, would say “One hundred and five point two six.” Which is a much easier way to say it and far more understandable.

As to the OP, “one hundred and five” though there are situations where “one oh five” may be used.

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**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2018, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-english-speakers-one-hundred-five-or-one-hundred-and-five/809806/55 "2018-03-02T00:22:46Z")

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> [@elbows](#):
>
> A hundred and five.

- plenty

It’s a (or one) hundred and five (more).

I would have thought there was ambiguity with “one hundred five” with the number 1005 which is said one thousand and five (more)

Like in the nursery rhymes “four and twenty blackbirds” = 24 blackbirds, not 420.

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**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2018, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-english-speakers-one-hundred-five-or-one-hundred-and-five/809806/56 "2018-03-02T00:37:17Z")

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Question for those who would say “one hundred five” or “a hundred five”; does it make any difference is the middle integer is not zero? For example, would you say “six hundred twenty-five” or “six hundred and twenty-five”?

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**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2018, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-english-speakers-one-hundred-five-or-one-hundred-and-five/809806/57 "2018-03-02T01:59:42Z")

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Seventy-six trombones led the big parade  
With **a hundred and ten** cornets close at hand.  
They were followed by rows and rows of the finest virtuosos,  
the cream of every famous band  
–Meredith Willson (May 18, 1902 – June 15, 1984), American composer and playwright

My early grade school teachers were utterly obsessed with the “and means decimal point” thing. But, of course, when they dropped their guard, they would say “and” just like any other normal human being.

There are contexts in which I wouldn’t say the “and,” but I can’t figure out any rule that would make sense of it.

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**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2018, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-english-speakers-one-hundred-five-or-one-hundred-and-five/809806/58 "2018-03-02T02:21:46Z")

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Depends on context switching. Just general speakin’, “a hunred n five.” Stopping to think about what I’m speaking? Then it’s “one hundred five.”

Kind of the same when talking about good ol’ H2O: “Wanna a glass of wader?” versus “Would you like a glass of water?”

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**Author:** ![Batano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@Batano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batano)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2018, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-english-speakers-one-hundred-five-or-one-hundred-and-five/809806/59 "2018-03-02T05:30:42Z")

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Thanks everyone for the input. Looking back, it may have been when I was writing checks that my father was so adamant. I’ll teach the AND and say that 'n is more how it us pronounced in conversation. My mother wa’s British and my father was American, so sometimes I’m unclear as to the normal US usage. For the correct Britis version I just look to Wesley Snipes 🙂

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**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2018, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-english-speakers-one-hundred-five-or-one-hundred-and-five/809806/60 "2018-03-02T06:00:45Z")

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There seem to be a lot of people not identifying their dialect, which is critical here.  
As various Brits have said, in British English the “and” is obligatory (albeit deemphasized), whatever comes after the hundreds. There is a variant that “a” can replace “one”, e.g. I grew up with a movie that I read as “A hundred and one dalmatians”.

105 = one/a hundred and five  
105.75 = one hundred and five point seven five  
105 3/4 = one hundred and five and three quarters

There is certainly no rule in the U.K. to omit “and” because it’s also used to append a fraction.  
Omitting “and” would mark the speaker distinctly as American. I’ve heard both forms in the U.S., I’m not sure if there is regional variation in prevalence but both variants seem to be acceptable throughout the U.S.

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