# Why is tennis scoring so weird?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-tennis-scoring-so-weird/316798>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [August 12, 2005, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-tennis-scoring-so-weird/316798 "2005-08-12T23:19:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mgeiger99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@mgeiger99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mgeiger99)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2005, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-tennis-scoring-so-weird/316798/1 "2005-08-12T23:19:16Z")

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Dear Cecil,

I have a follow-up question to your answer regarding the scoring used in tennis. My question revovles around the use of 40 rather than 45. You state “the four points when 15, 30, 45 (which we abbreviate to 40) and 60, or game”, but do not go into more detail why 45 is abbreviated to 40. Any more insight on this? Mike G., Phoenix

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**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2005, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-tennis-scoring-so-weird/316798/2 "2005-08-12T23:49:41Z")

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Wikipedia’s tennis entry says that

> [@](#):
>
> The convention of numbering scores “15,” “30” and “40” comes from quinze, trente and quarante, which to French ears makes a euphonious sequence.

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**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-tennis-scoring-so-weird/316798/3 "2005-08-13T14:21:04Z")

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Just so other folks know what column you’re referring too it’s

[Why is tennis scoring so weird?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_304a.html)