# When will most people switch from "two thousand \[year\]" to "twenty \[year\]"?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-most-people-switch-from-two-thousand-year-to-twenty-year/523247
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [January 1, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-most-people-switch-from-two-thousand-year-to-twenty-year/523247 "2010-01-01T01:44:17Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Doom\_Slinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doom_Slinger)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-most-people-switch-from-two-thousand-year-to-twenty-year/523247/1 "2010-01-01T01:44:17Z")
It’s been my experience throughout the 2000s that people have almost universally stated the year as “two thousand [year]” – i.e., 2009 was “two thousand nine,” not “twenty-oh-nine.” I’ve noticed, though, that we’re entering a period where the transition to “twenty [year]” is starting to happen, and, thus, we will probably see both usages for a few years (for instance, ads for the movie _2012_ state the movie’s title as “two thousand twelve,” while, on the other hand, I saw some commercial featuring Christina Aguilera that mentioned an offer that was good through 2011, pronounced “twenty eleven”).
My question is, when do you think that the “twenty [year]” convention will become the universal standard? I think that the absolute latest will be 2020, just because “twenty twenty” already sounds familiar to most people from 20-20 vision and the ABC show “20/20”, and there’ll be no going back from there. Personally, though, my guess is that the switch will happen earlier, by the end of 2013. It seems to me that “two thousand thirteen,” with its four “t”/“th” sounds, is much more awkward to say than “twenty thirteen,” so that’s when it will really catch on.
What say you? Will “twenty ten” become the standard starting tomorrow, or will people still be saying “two thousand ninety-nine” in 2099?
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2010, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-most-people-switch-from-two-thousand-year-to-twenty-year/523247/2 "2010-01-01T02:04:49Z")
In less than 3 hours.
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### Author:  [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2010, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-most-people-switch-from-two-thousand-year-to-twenty-year/523247/3 "2010-01-01T02:13:10Z")
Agreed. It’ll be “twenty ten” now and “twenty eleven” looking ahead very, very soon.
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### Author:  [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2010, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-most-people-switch-from-two-thousand-year-to-twenty-year/523247/4 "2010-01-01T02:19:50Z")
I can’t wait for the twenty teens.
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### Author:  [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2010, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-most-people-switch-from-two-thousand-year-to-twenty-year/523247/5 "2010-01-01T03:11:07Z")
I’ve been using “twenty ten” and no-one’s thought it unusual.
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### Author:  [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2010, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-most-people-switch-from-two-thousand-year-to-twenty-year/523247/6 "2010-01-01T04:15:51Z")
I’m still saying two thousand ten… but I’m sure by the end of the year, I’ll be slipping in some "twenty eleven"s.
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### Author:  [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2010, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-most-people-switch-from-two-thousand-year-to-twenty-year/523247/7 "2010-01-01T04:19:26Z")
Right now. Twenty ten.
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### Author:  [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2010, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-most-people-switch-from-two-thousand-year-to-twenty-year/523247/8 "2010-01-01T04:36:21Z")
I’ve never said “two thousand” anything. It’s been “oh eight”, “oh nine” etc. I like brevity.
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### Author:  [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2010, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-most-people-switch-from-two-thousand-year-to-twenty-year/523247/9 "2010-01-01T04:51:36Z")
I prefer “two thousand and…” up to and including 2012, then I’ll probably start to go with “twenty…”
I just think “twenty-eleven” sounds too ridiculous, so I’ll make the change after that one is over with.
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### Author:  [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2010, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-most-people-switch-from-two-thousand-year-to-twenty-year/523247/10 "2010-01-01T05:03:45Z")
It’s Twenty-Ten in North Carliner now…
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### Author:  [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2010, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-most-people-switch-from-two-thousand-year-to-twenty-year/523247/11 "2010-01-01T05:18:17Z")
Interesting question. FWIW, most people in this part of the world have been using “Two thousand _and_ [Year]” so far- so you’d refer to something happening in “Two Thousand And Eight”, for example.
Personally, I’ll probably continue to use this format for a while yet. The whole “Twenty [Year]” format conjures up images of The Future for me, and I don’t quite feel like we’re there yet.
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### Author:  [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2010, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-most-people-switch-from-two-thousand-year-to-twenty-year/523247/12 "2010-01-01T05:19:57Z")
[http://www.twentynot2000.com/](http://www.twentynot2000.com/)
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### Author:  [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2010, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-most-people-switch-from-two-thousand-year-to-twenty-year/523247/13 "2010-01-01T05:40:19Z")
heard it being referred to as 2K10 during an ad spot for the football game tonight. Almost made my beer curdle
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### Author:  [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2010, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-most-people-switch-from-two-thousand-year-to-twenty-year/523247/14 "2010-01-01T07:53:49Z")
I’m wondering what effect it’ll have on car model years.
'65 Mustang, '57 Chevy, '85 LeBaron, '08 Corolla all sounds normal.
'10 Honda just doesn’t sound right.
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### Author:  [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2010, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-most-people-switch-from-two-thousand-year-to-twenty-year/523247/15 "2010-01-01T07:54:41Z")
I’ve been hearing it as twenty-year for several years already.
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### Author:  [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2010, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-most-people-switch-from-two-thousand-year-to-twenty-year/523247/16 "2010-01-01T10:08:33Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#):
>
> I’ve been hearing it as twenty-year for several years already.
Yes, but what were they saying.😉
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### Author:  [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2010, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-most-people-switch-from-two-thousand-year-to-twenty-year/523247/17 "2010-01-01T10:21:20Z")
I’m saying “2010” as “two ten”.
Next year will be “two eleven” etc.
My prediction is that by “two 12” I will be in the majority.
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### Author:  [@runcible\_spoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runcible_spoon)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2010, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-most-people-switch-from-two-thousand-year-to-twenty-year/523247/18 "2010-01-01T10:25:25Z")
I’m still voting for two oh ten. Then it will be two oh eleven, two oh twelve, and so on for the rest of the century.
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### Author:  [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2010, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-most-people-switch-from-two-thousand-year-to-twenty-year/523247/19 "2010-01-01T10:33:36Z")
I think twenty-ten is fine, but sounds weird when doing a whole date. So it would be “in the year twenty-ten” but “on April 2nd, two-thousand-ten.” Saying random dates in my head I’ve come up with the following all full dates using the 2k form, but most years except 2011 (twenty-eleven sounds awkward to me) using just twenty-[number] for plain year statement.
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### Author:  [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2010, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-most-people-switch-from-two-thousand-year-to-twenty-year/523247/20 "2010-01-01T12:29:28Z")
I forgot to mention in my earlier post that I won’t be calling this year “twenty ten” or “two thousand ten”. I’m going to be a real rebel and just call it “ten”. I mean, it’s not like we ever said “nineteen hundred” back in the 1900s. It was “eighty-five” or “ninety-eight” or whatever. And it’s not ambiguous either: if you say you did something back in ten, nobody is going to sit there scratching their head wondering if you meant 2010, 1910, or 1810. So fuck it, it’s ten.
English has always prided itself on being able to express things with relatively few syllables. So why the hard-on now for “two thousand” or even worse “two thousand _and_”? It makes no damn sense.
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