# "Two-thousand-three" or "Two-thousand AND three"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 9, 2003, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-thousand-three-or-two-thousand-and-three/206444 "2003-10-09T06:31:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-thousand-three-or-two-thousand-and-three/206444/1 "2003-10-09T06:31:02Z")
How do you pronounce our current year? Do you read out the numbers simply as they appear left to right, or do you add an “AND” before the last digit? In the US, I noticed people on television were pronouncing numbers great than 100 without the distinct “AND” preceding the last digit, which we always use here in Australia. For instance I heard, **101** : “one hundred one” instead of the more familiar, “one hundred AND one” **1,234** : “one thousand two hundred thirty four” rather than “one thousand two hundred AND thirty four”. **1,000,408** : “one million four hundred eight” over “one million four hundred AND eight”. So how do you pronounce numbers? Do you notice differences in other regions? ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-thousand-three-or-two-thousand-and-three/206444/2 "2003-10-09T06:42:28Z")
[ul]:o [sup] **In Mississippi, we never count over 10, unless we are barefooted.** [/sup][/ul] **Using the “and” is not unknown, but it is wrong.** ---
**Author:** ![Darkhold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@Darkhold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darkhold)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-thousand-three-or-two-thousand-and-three/206444/3 "2003-10-09T06:52:40Z")
I once had a math teacher tell me if you used the word AND you were saying there was a decimal involved. 123.02 one hundred twenty three and two hundredths. but he was crazy so maybe he was just making it up. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-thousand-three-or-two-thousand-and-three/206444/4 "2003-10-09T06:55:42Z")
Two thousand three Two thousand three and seventy seven hundredths Two thousand three dollars and 77 cents Two thousand three and seven hundred seventy three thousands _Two thousand three and seven point seven tenths_ That last one’s a stretch. p.s. I currently reside in the land of cotton. ---
**Author:** ![wei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90ced4/32.png) [@wei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wei)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-thousand-three-or-two-thousand-and-three/206444/5 "2003-10-09T06:55:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Darkhold \* > \*\*I once had a math teacher tell me if you used the word AND you were saying there was a decimal involved. > \*\* I was also told this, so I doubt it was made up…Unless all the math teachers got together and decided to scare us like that. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-thousand-three-or-two-thousand-and-three/206444/6 "2003-10-09T07:02:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eleusis \* > **Two thousand three and seven hundred seventy three thousands** thousandths even ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-thousand-three-or-two-thousand-and-three/206444/7 "2003-10-09T07:28:02Z")
Why say two thousand AND three? Does anyone express “33” as thirty AND three. I’ve always heard thirty three with no AND. Since that is the case with smaller numbers, it should also hold true for large numbers. ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-thousand-three-or-two-thousand-and-three/206444/8 "2003-10-09T07:31:11Z")
Oops, forget to add: Do you always know where to put this superfluous “AND”? Couldn’t “6,542” be expressed as six thousand AND five hundred AND forty AND two by logical extension. No freakin’ AND’s in numbers, please! ---
**Author:** ![Darkhold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@Darkhold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darkhold)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-thousand-three-or-two-thousand-and-three/206444/9 "2003-10-09T07:34:48Z")
Ataraxy, wow are you the guy that taught my Jr High math class? I’m having flashbacks here. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-thousand-three-or-two-thousand-and-three/206444/10 "2003-10-09T07:43:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Darkhold \* > \*\*Ataraxy, > > wow are you the guy that taught my Jr High math class? I’m having flashbacks here. \*\* Wowww, man!!! That would, like, really blow my mind, man!! The windows are breathing, man!!! Like total _two thousand and one_ a space odyssey shit! [/chong] ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-thousand-three-or-two-thousand-and-three/206444/11 "2003-10-09T08:26:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Darkhold \* > \*\*I once had a math teacher tell me if you used the word AND you were saying there was a decimal involved. > > 123.02 one hundred twenty three and two hundredths. > > but he was crazy so maybe he was just making it up. \*\* I know I shall get into trouble for my views on this (I did last time), but I think a lot of it is merely tradition; I’ve been brought up with a system that includes _‘and’_ - I tried to formulate the reuls for the position of it in the sentence and it isn’t simple, but the same could be said of many things such as spelling and grammar, which also have complex rules with exceptions all over the place. 123.02 - one hundred **and** twenty-three point zero two 123,456.78 - 0ne hundred **and** twenty-three thousand, four hundred **and** fifty-six point seven eight. It seems the most natural thing in the world to me; I realise it may not be rigorous, logical or convenient, and may seem absurd, archaic, arbitrary and ridiculous to some, but as I said, life and language is like that. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-thousand-three-or-two-thousand-and-three/206444/12 "2003-10-09T09:08:06Z")
I should just add that to my English ears, The convention of _not_ including ‘and’ makes the numbers seem spaced out as if they are being presented as discrete entities in a list, so 123,456 - “one hundred twenty three thousand, four hundred fifty six” Sounds to me, (and I admit this is entirely subjective) as if it is describing the following _ **list** _ of numbers: 100 23,000 400 56 ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-thousand-three-or-two-thousand-and-three/206444/13 "2003-10-09T09:27:00Z")
Over here we always use the “and” - missing it out sounds, to me, characteristically American. :. I think it’s cultural. No logic to it at all. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-thousand-three-or-two-thousand-and-three/206444/14 "2003-10-09T09:31:01Z")
I get my cue from Grandpa Simpson I call this year Aught 3 ---
**Author:** ![Burnt\_Sugar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee59a6/32.png) [@Burnt\_Sugar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burnt_Sugar)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-thousand-three-or-two-thousand-and-three/206444/15 "2003-10-09T10:05:29Z")
I say the ‘and’, but then I’m Aussie and my Mum is British. I agree with **Mangetout** , I think it’s just a matter of tradition, not what is right and wrong. Obviously saying the ‘and’ is not wrong in Australia, because we were all taught it that way by our teachers. ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-thousand-three-or-two-thousand-and-three/206444/16 "2003-10-09T14:07:05Z")
My pronunciation (North East US) Normally: Twenty-Oh-Three Sometimes: Two Thousand - Three Never: Two Thousand and Three ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-thousand-three-or-two-thousand-and-three/206444/17 "2003-10-09T14:51:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > **\ sounds, to me, characteristically American. \** Which is always the correct way. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-thousand-three-or-two-thousand-and-three/206444/18 "2003-10-09T15:02:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bruce\_Daddy \* > \*\*Which is always the correct way. \*\* Mais bien sûr! ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-thousand-three-or-two-thousand-and-three/206444/19 "2003-10-09T15:38:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > \*\*Mais bien sûr! \*\* More bean soup? ---
**Author:** ![curly\_chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@curly\_chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curly_chick)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-thousand-three-or-two-thousand-and-three/206444/20 "2003-10-09T15:41:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bruce\_Daddy \* > \*\*More bean soup? \*\* No, as we all know it’s More bean **AND** soup [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-thousand-three-or-two-thousand-and-three/206444.md?page=2)