# What comes after a trillion (If there is such a number)???? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 8, 2000, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-comes-after-a-trillion-if-there-is-such-a-number/7005 "2000-02-08T20:19:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4bbf92/32.png) [@Frazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frazer)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-comes-after-a-trillion-if-there-is-such-a-number/7005/1 "2000-02-08T20:19:00Z")
I know that a billion comes after a million and it is a million million, but does a trillion mean a billion billion and if soo, what comes after that. Just one of these irrelevant thoughts i had…Thanks =) ---
**Author:** ![Ezstrete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ea924/32.png) [@Ezstrete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ezstrete)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-comes-after-a-trillion-if-there-is-such-a-number/7005/2 "2000-02-08T20:23:00Z")
Quadrillion------and then Quintillion ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-comes-after-a-trillion-if-there-is-such-a-number/7005/3 "2000-02-08T20:24:00Z")
A trillion and one! (sorry!) I think Europe has a different nomenclature, but here’s the American version: 1,000 = thousand 1,000,000 = million 1,000,000,000 = billion 1,000,000,000,000 = trillion 1,000,000,000,000,000 = quadrillion 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 = quintillion 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 = sextillion 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 = septillion 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 = octillion 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 = nontillion 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 = dectillion I think. Didn’t Cecil do a column on this? ---
**Author:** ![TheThill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheThill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheThill)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-comes-after-a-trillion-if-there-is-such-a-number/7005/4 "2000-02-08T20:24:00Z")
A billion is not a million million but rather a thousand million. (It used to be the former in Britain, although they seem to have changed to the U.S. system in recent years – or can anyone make a more precise statement about that?) Adding another 3 zeroes each the following numbers follow: trillion, quadrillion, quintillion, sextillion, septillion, octillion… Using further Latin prefixes, you can of course continue this ad infinitum. ---
**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:** [February 8, 2000, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-comes-after-a-trillion-if-there-is-such-a-number/7005/5 "2000-02-08T20:27:00Z")
A trillion and one? ---
**Author:** ![TheThill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheThill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheThill)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-comes-after-a-trillion-if-there-is-such-a-number/7005/6 "2000-02-08T20:27:00Z")
Yes, in other European languages, the order is different. In German, it is as follows (with dots used instead of commas, btw): 1.000.000 (eine) Million 1.000.000.000 Milliarde 1.000.000.000.000 Billion 1.000.000.000.000.000 Billiarde 1.000.000.000.000.000.000 Trillion etc. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-comes-after-a-trillion-if-there-is-such-a-number/7005/7 "2000-02-08T20:28:00Z")
Hello, **Frazer** , and welcome to the Straight Dope Message Board. As **phouka** semi-recalls, **SDStaff Dex** authored the definitive answer to this question in a [Mailbag](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mgazilli.html) item last year. ## It’s usually a good idea to check the [Archives](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/index.html) before posing a question here. Livin’ on Tums, vitamin E and Rogaine ---
**Author:** ![galen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecc23a/32.png) [@galen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2000, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-comes-after-a-trillion-if-there-is-such-a-number/7005/8 "2000-02-09T04:52:00Z")
The only usage of quadrillion I’ve ever seen was the use of the word “quad” for quadrillion BTUs to describe national energy consumption. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2000, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-comes-after-a-trillion-if-there-is-such-a-number/7005/9 "2000-02-09T05:01:00Z")
Manhatt already gave the link to all you need to know about names of large numbers, but I’d like to say that the times that you need numbers like quadrillion and umpfantasticillion is when you’re counting money in Unca Scrooge’s moneybin. ---
**Author:** ![NanoByte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecc23a/32.png) [@NanoByte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NanoByte)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2000, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-comes-after-a-trillion-if-there-is-such-a-number/7005/10 "2000-02-09T10:00:00Z")
10^33 (US) is 'decillion, not dectillion. [Upper limit to the number of atoms in the universe](http://www.mindsports.net/I_Ching_Connexion/JavaVersion/Introduction/IntroCompiler.html) = 10^87. But [here](http://www.ideabank.com/Pages/insitesweekly/insites.6.01.98.html) it says the number of **electrons** in same is only 10^80-88. I guess they’ve gone out fashion, but there used to be: ‘googol’ = 10^100 and 'googolplex = 10^(10^100) , at least in the head of someone called Milton Sirotta, according to my dictionary. Ray (You need any larger #s, we supply them at extra cost – astronomical. But I thought the Scotch were. . .well. . .Scotch, and wouldn’t need to be so excessive.) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2000, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-comes-after-a-trillion-if-there-is-such-a-number/7005/11 "2000-02-09T13:58:00Z")
OK, here’s the Mailbag article on googol and googolplex… \[http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mgoogol.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mgoogol.html)\ Probably should have been included in the first article, but what the heck, this way we get two slots for the price of one. [Note: This message has been edited by CKDextHavn] ---
**Author:** ![TheThill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheThill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheThill)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2000, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-comes-after-a-trillion-if-there-is-such-a-number/7005/12 "2000-02-09T21:50:00Z")
Of course in some countries’ currencies at some times, being a quadrillionaire is not quite as good as it sounds. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2000, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-comes-after-a-trillion-if-there-is-such-a-number/7005/13 "2000-02-09T23:08:00Z")
> [@](#): > > The only usage of quadrillion I’ve ever seen was the use of the word “quad” for Quadrillion BTUs to describe national energy consumption. So, is that quadrillion 10^15 (a US, Canada quadrillion) or (10^6)^4 (a European quadrillion)? BTU, British Thermal Unit, is in Canada the old Imperial measure of bulk energy usage; I’m not sure what we use now, probably joules with a really big exponent. Presumably the US uses the BTU, but doesn’t call it Imperial. But there may be a difference, as the old Canadian (i.e. Imperial) gallon was different from the US gallon (4.54 L versus 3.85 L). Anyone with a more up-to-date knowledge able to correct me? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-comes-after-a-trillion-if-there-is-such-a-number/7005/14 "2000-02-10T00:40:00Z")
Side note: Japanese has words not only for 100 (hyaku) and 1,000 (sen) but also for 10,000 (man). So, pronouncing numbers larger than 10,000 takes some thought for us Westerners. You have to teach yourself to say not “one hundred thousand” but “ten ten-thousands”. A million is “one hundred ten-thousands”. Funky, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-comes-after-a-trillion-if-there-is-such-a-number/7005/15 "2000-02-10T00:52:00Z")
Author Dent is always after Trillian, but comes after Zaphod Beeblebrox. Proven by the fact that Trillian left the party with Zaphod Beeblebrox, and not Author Dent. 42 ---
**Author:** ![Momotaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Momotaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Momotaro)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-comes-after-a-trillion-if-there-is-such-a-number/7005/16 "2000-02-10T14:03:00Z")
I though the British use a system that mirrored French, i.e. ``` 1,000,000 million 1,000,000,000 milliard 1,000,000,000,000 billion ``` 1,000,000,000,000,000 billiard etc. Is is still the case? ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-comes-after-a-trillion-if-there-is-such-a-number/7005/17 "2000-02-10T20:14:00Z")
American nomenclature: NAME…ZEROES…“SERIES NAME” thousand…3 million…6…1s billion…9 trillion…12 quadrillion…15 quintillion…18 sextillion…21 septillion…24 octillion…27 nonillion…30 decillion…33…10s undecillion…36 duodecillion…39 tredecillion…42 quattuordecillion…45 quintdecillion…48 sexdecillion…51 septemdecillion…54 octodecillion…57 novemdecillion…60 vigintillion…63…20s unvigintillion…66 duovigintillion…69 trevegintillion…72 quattuorvigintillion…75 quintovigintillion…78 sextovigintillion…81 septemvigintillion…84 octovigintillion…87 novemvigintillion…90 trigintillion…93…30s untrigintillion…96 duotrigintillion…99 ten duotrigintillion.100 \<------------------also called the “googol” trevigintillion…102 etc to\>\>\> quadragintillion…123…40s quinquagintillion…153…50s sexagintillion…183…60s septuagintillion…213…70s octogintillion…243…80s nonagintillion…273…90s centillion…303…100s * * * Designated Optional Signature at Bottom of Post ---
**Author:** ![TheThill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheThill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheThill)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-comes-after-a-trillion-if-there-is-such-a-number/7005/18 "2000-02-10T23:25:00Z")
Thank you. That should do for the time being. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-comes-after-a-trillion-if-there-is-such-a-number/7005/19 "2000-02-11T01:39:00Z")
Nono, you forgot a zenzizenzizenzic! ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-comes-after-a-trillion-if-there-is-such-a-number/7005/20 "2000-02-11T02:43:00Z")
[quote] 1,000,000,000,000,000 billiard[/quot] This provides an excellent reason not to play billiards with Bill Gates or Donald Trump! 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-comes-after-a-trillion-if-there-is-such-a-number/7005.md?page=2)