# The 80's, the 90's, the ????? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 16, 2003, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-80s-the-90s-the/213483 "2003-11-16T01:19:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zardoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a8b319/32.png) [@Zardoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zardoz)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-80s-the-90s-the/213483/1 "2003-11-16T01:19:19Z")
Ok, so if 20 years ago it was the 80’s, then the 90’s, then what in the world are we gonna call this decade? The Tens? I’ve thought about this for years and figured it would be determined by now, but here we are 3 years into this decade and I still haven’t heard a term for this. Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-80s-the-90s-the/213483/2 "2003-11-16T01:21:22Z")
I prefer not to refer to this decade at all, given how it has been turning out so far. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-80s-the-90s-the/213483/3 "2003-11-16T01:34:27Z")
Possibilities I’ve heard used or proposed: [ul][li]The Naughts[/li][li]The Aughts[/li][li]The Zeros[/li][li]The Hundreds[/li]The O’s[/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-80s-the-90s-the/213483/4 "2003-11-16T01:40:53Z")
Because I love you so… [The Perfect Master speaks.](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_263b.html) ---
**Author:** ![Church\_Key\_Kid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Church\_Key\_Kid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Church_Key_Kid)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-80s-the-90s-the/213483/5 "2003-11-16T01:41:20Z")
The Two-Thousands; The Two-Thousand Tens; The Two-Thousand Twenties… ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-80s-the-90s-the/213483/6 "2003-11-16T02:01:22Z")
The historical precedent would suggest: Twenty-Hundreds, Twenty-Tens, Twenty-Twenties etc. Personally, I think that Two Thousand And Twelve will give way to Twenty-Thirteen… ‘The Noughties’ is a tongue-in-cheek term used over here… ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-80s-the-90s-the/213483/7 "2003-11-16T02:04:38Z")
Ive hear Aughts and Naughts more than anything else my self… (Southeastern USA) Reminds me of the Abe Simpson (Grandpa on the Simpsons) quote "…that was back in 19 dickity 2 … we couldn’t say twenty back then, because they took our word for it… " ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-80s-the-90s-the/213483/8 "2003-11-16T03:56:50Z")
As demonstrated in the OP, “this decade” is valid in almost every place the term you’re looking for would be used. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-80s-the-90s-the/213483/9 "2003-11-16T06:13:25Z")
Simple: the 2Ks. ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-80s-the-90s-the/213483/10 "2003-11-16T07:21:31Z")
I vote we call it the Naughties (or Noughties) universally. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Babbington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Mr.Babbington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Babbington)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-80s-the-90s-the/213483/11 "2003-11-16T07:43:23Z")
I vote for the oughts. I had a pointless rant a few months ago to this effect. Yes, I am lame, yes, I have nothing better to do. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-80s-the-90s-the/213483/12 "2003-11-16T08:03:43Z")
How about “the turn of the century”? Isn’t that how the years 1900 - 1910 are usually refered to? ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-80s-the-90s-the/213483/13 "2003-11-16T08:36:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SmackFu \* > \*\*As demonstrated in the OP, “this decade” is valid in almost every place the term you’re looking for would be used. \*\* True, but what about the future? Although, I suppose, it really won’t hit a crisis point until VH1 expands their “I Love the…” series. ---
**Author:** ![Mac\_Guffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Mac\_Guffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mac_Guffin)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-80s-the-90s-the/213483/14 "2003-11-16T12:24:44Z")
Hows about the “Twenty-0’s”? as in 20-01through 20-09 ---
**Author:** ![Matchka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Matchka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Matchka)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-80s-the-90s-the/213483/15 "2003-11-16T18:10:56Z")
I’d definitely get behind the Noughties ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-80s-the-90s-the/213483/16 "2003-11-16T19:45:38Z")
How about the Millenium? for the first decade at least; let´s pass the burden to create a reasonable term for the future generations. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-80s-the-90s-the/213483/17 "2003-11-16T20:42:43Z")
What did people “way back when” use when they referred to the period 1900 - 1909 ? Granted, there are very few of them to ask but still wouldn’t there be some references in the literature of the day and many decades later? ---
**Author:** ![zia\_nova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/bc79bd/32.png) [@zia\_nova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zia_nova)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-80s-the-90s-the/213483/18 "2003-11-16T21:23:30Z")
The Naughties gets my vote! (however you wanna spell it, that part I’m not fussy about) ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-80s-the-90s-the/213483/19 "2003-11-16T21:40:07Z")
Seventy Eighty Ninety Tenty Eleventy Twelvety . . . ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-80s-the-90s-the/213483/20 "2003-11-16T21:46:22Z")
There’s a rap song on the radio right now (don’t know title or artist) that uses the term “aughts”, so I suppose that’s gonna stick with the kids. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-80s-the-90s-the/213483.md?page=2)