# Why do we say 18th century?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-say-18th-century/728552>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 22, 2015, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-say-18th-century/728552 "2015-08-22T22:52:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 35

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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:** [August 24, 2015, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-say-18th-century/728552/35 "2015-08-24T01:34:06Z")

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> [@mhendo](#):
>
> I should note, by the way, that a certain percentage of my students never grasp the concept. Even after i explain how it works, i still have some students who think that the 18th century is the 1800s, and so on.

I totally grasp the concept, but I still have to mentally translate: mention the 18th century, and I’ll have to think “Oh that’s the… 19… no wait—the 1700’s. Why couldn’t they just **say** the 1700’s in the first place, instead of making me figure it out?”

So I appreciate this thread’s question.

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