“Two million” or “two millions”? (2024)

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Withoutthe plural ending -s With the plural ending -s Add ‘s’ if you don’t give an exact number: 52 Comments Leave a Reply FAQs

Stuart Cook February 19, 2012 Grammar articles 52

I received emails from two people last week asking about the word million. Both people asked the same question:

”What is the plural of million?

Is it millions, or is it million (without ‘s’)?”

The answer is that million, like the words hundred, thousand and billion, has two possible plural endings. Sometimes we say million, sometimes millions.

Withoutthe plural ending -s

1. We don’t add ‘s’ when we give an exact number:

two million pounds
two thousand years
threehundred
four billion.

2. Wedon’t add ‘s’ when we use a quantifier like several or a few:

several million years
a few thousand dollars
a few hundred.

With the plural ending -s

Add ‘s’ if you don’t give an exact number:

hundreds of people
thousands of years
millions of dollars.

That’s the rule. It’s nice and simple!

Photo: 401(K) 2012

On the subject of dollars and amounts of money, there is another common question worth answering: which of the following is correct?

1. There is a hundred dollars in my wallet.
or
2. There are a hundred dollars in my wallet.

The first sentence is correct. We see an amount of money as a whole thing, and so we useis, not are.

Here are some more examples:

Give me back that ten pounds you owe me. (not ~~those ten pounds~~)
Two million euros is difficult to earn. (not ~~are difficult~~)

Do you have a question about this grammar? Do you have any more examples? Please leave a message below in the comments section.

By Stuart Cook

Stuart is an English teacher and runs the Speakspeak website. He currently lives in Prague and has been teaching for over 25 years. ⎜Get Stuart's e-books ⎜Contact

52 Comments

nick - July 29, 2012, 9:54 am Reply
thanx cook…that kinda helped.
jiri - January 16, 2013, 6:08 pm Reply
good stuff, cheers
Helen - May 27, 2013, 5:25 pm Reply
Thank you! Your explanation is very clear and easy to understand.
Manuel - May 28, 2013, 11:42 am Reply
Yeah i understand
- Anonymous - September 25, 2021, 1:49 pm Reply
  Ese último ejemplo no lo entendí, gracias
Francesca - September 11, 2013, 10:45 am Reply
Hi,
what if i have to say “3 million of us” ?
Do I add the final -s?
Thanks a lot.
- Stuart Cook - September 11, 2013, 11:02 am Reply
  Three million of us is correct – no ‘s’.
  Without the number, it’s with ‘s’: There were millions of us.
  - Pjotr - September 10, 2023, 2:37 pm Reply
    “Without the number, it’s with ‘s’: There were millions of us|.
    Is that so? Henry Knox, US Secretary of War, in his raport to Congress in 1787 wrote: ” The expense od such an armament if succesful for the two years could not be estimated less than two millions of dollars…”
    Sure, Mr Knox, a bookeeper by profession, or a congressional copyist, might not have been versed with English.
    English grammar might have undergone some subtle alterations.
    But since when has this been considered wrong?
    [Link deleted]
paola from Italy - October 21, 2013, 5:37 pm Reply
thanks
See Also
2 Million in Numbers – 2 Million Written Out | numbersinwords.net Judges order hate groups to pay millions for 2017 Charlottesville rally What’s next for student loan borrowers as Biden’s repayment plan faces legal battles | CNN Politics While the NBA sifts through free agency, the Rockets play waiting game
- Robert - October 19, 2020, 5:36 pm Reply
  I am in debt of $150 from my friend. Is the sentence correct or should I use some other preposition?
ali - November 6, 2013, 5:27 pm Reply
a good English teacher .. better than millions of them 🙂
Edosa King - January 3, 2014, 6:18 am Reply
Thank you.
Am a millionaire in Dollars
Am a millionaire in Dollar
Which of them is more appropriate…
- Stuart Cook - January 3, 2014, 5:44 pm Reply
  A millionaire in dollars is correct.
Alonso - January 5, 2014, 9:52 am Reply
Please, which is correct “all the house was dirty Or all of the house was dirty?
Thanks in advance
rama - March 11, 2014, 6:04 pm Reply
do i say 20 million chinese muslim or 20 million chinese muslims
- Stuart Cook - March 11, 2014, 8:20 pm Reply
  20 million Chinese muslims is correct.
  - rama - March 15, 2014, 2:42 pm Reply
    thank you
rama - March 15, 2014, 2:47 pm Reply
which part do i use although with
is it according to the sentence?does matter if i switch ?
e.g : although she is beautiful , she isn’t married .
but could i say although she isn’t married , she is beautiful .
Moshe - April 19, 2014, 6:30 pm Reply
Which is correct: 10 million dollar, or 10 million dollars?
Thanks
- Stuart Cook - April 19, 2014, 9:24 pm Reply
  “10 million dollars” is correct.
  - Moshe - April 19, 2014, 9:31 pm Reply
    Thank you!
Noak Sten - May 24, 2014, 1:44 pm Reply
nice, thanks!
rama - May 25, 2014, 5:01 pm Reply
please answer my questions
do i say the selection and mixing of the different kinds of fabric is done by experts.
or the selection and mixing of the different kinds of fabric are done by experts.
please answer quicly
- Stuart Cook - May 25, 2014, 10:36 pm Reply
  is done
  See Also
  Percentage Calculator
- Ekaterina - November 14, 2020, 1:34 pm Reply
  Hi,
  would you say “A million of flowers grow there” or rather “grows” ?
  Thanks a lot!
Confused - June 5, 2014, 9:03 pm Reply
hi, I don’t quite get it- on one hand you say don’t use the ending -s when giving an exact number but on the other hand you wrote
“give me back that 10 poundS you owe me”
typo or does that rule specifically apply to words milion/hundred/thousand/bilion and no others
- Stuart Cook - June 5, 2014, 9:32 pm Reply
  The rule ‘We don’t add ‘s’ when we give an exact number’ applies only to the words hundred, thousand, million, billion, etc. It’s correct to say twenty pounds, ten dollars, etc.
Confused - June 5, 2014, 9:55 pm Reply
clear now! thank you and wow what a prompt reply:) best regards
Alessandra - June 18, 2014, 6:21 pm Reply
Hi!
Found in an academic book: “..there were a total of 5.5 million Malays..”
Wouldn’t be rather right to say “there was”?
Thank you!
- Stuart Cook - June 18, 2014, 9:09 pm Reply
  Good question, Alessandra.
  There were is correct in your example, as we see 5.5 million people as plural. The same rule applies to a number of and a few:
  A number of survivors were found; a few of them were uninjured.
  The rule is:
  a total of . . . were,
  but
  the total of . . . was.
  It’s also worth noting that in the example you gave a total of is redundant, i.e. it’s unnecessary. It’s enough to say There were 5.5 million Malays.
  - Alessandra - June 19, 2014, 9:08 am Reply
    Academic books have to be redundant, you know!
    Thank you for your kind reply.
sonia zarif - February 7, 2015, 6:14 pm Reply
Hi.your comments are really helpful.i have a problem
Three dollers were spent or
Three dollars was spent
- Stuart Cook - February 11, 2015, 11:21 pm Reply
  Three dollars was spent. We see an amount as a singular thing. Similarly, we’d say: Here is the ten dollars that you lent me.
Victor - January 11, 2016, 8:10 pm Reply
Hello! Your explanations are really helpful, but I have a question. If I ask (or reask):
– How many million(s)?
– There are five million(s).
Without a noun. I’m interested in the amount of millions / hundreds / thousands. Do I need the ‘s’ ending or not?
Johnny - February 18, 2016, 5:53 am Reply
How can I describe below?
Some one ask: What is your daily business volume?
Me: I want to say my business volume is between 30 million dollars and 90 million dollars. Is there a word cover range between 30million to 90million?
matt - May 10, 2016, 3:17 pm Reply
What is correct?
There are thousands and thousands of dollars in my pocket.
or
There is thousands and thousands of dollars in my pocket.
Thank you for an utterly informative article!
matt
- Stuart Cook - May 10, 2016, 6:29 pm Reply
  There are
  - matt - May 12, 2016, 1:34 pm Reply
    Thanks a million!
    By the same token, it would be correct to say
    Please give me back that several million dollars you owe me. (quantifier)
    Please give me back those millions of dollars you owe me. (number is not exact)
    Right?
    Much appreciated!
    Matt
  - matt - May 12, 2016, 1:34 pm Reply
    Thanks a million!
    By the same token, it would be correct to say
    Please give me back that several million dollars you owe me. (quantifier)
    Please give me back those millions of dollars you owe me. (number is not exact)
    Right?
    Much appreciated!
    Matt
    - Ma`soumeh bagheri - October 21, 2019, 6:50 pm Reply
      Hi thank you loads
      Your answers are so clear and helpful
      But what about these sentences
      Two hundred people are needed
      Or two hundred people is needed
      Thanks in advance
Annemarie Dowds - April 21, 2017, 8:45 am Reply
I saw that you wrote “euros” not “euro”. Is it that we use “euros” for general conversation and “euro” for formal writing?
- Stuart Cook - May 1, 2017, 9:35 pm Reply
  Euros is simply the plural of euro. In news articles you might see five million euros written as €5m.
  Here’s an example: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39733452
Den - February 27, 2019, 4:53 pm Reply
Thank you!
Ma'soumeh bagheri - October 21, 2019, 7:02 pm Reply
Hi .
Thanks for useful explanations
Which one is correct
There is /are two hundred people here.
Thanks a lot
maged - April 9, 2020, 7:55 am Reply
I need a million dollars in cash…. this sentence is right or mistake and why
Anonymous - April 10, 2020, 8:55 am Reply
a few stars are known which are hardly bigger than the earth but most of them are so large that hundreds of thousands of Earth’s could be packed inside each.
So explain me why therz s with thousands though we have 100 given?
I’ll be thankful
- Tonto McGregor - June 9, 2020, 6:14 pm Reply
  If you say hundreds OF thousands then it is still not stating a number.. but it is defining a ballpark figure. More than 99 thousand but less than a million. You’re not specifying an exact number like “there was twenty thousand Earths” (note the complex loss of the “of” for another complicated topic). But just like “millions of Earths” “hundreds of thousands of Earth” both do not specify how many and therefore the plural is required.
Siadou - July 4, 2020, 3:43 pm Reply
Is it correct to say population of about four millions or population of about four millions
Leo - August 27, 2020, 8:34 am Reply
which is right, 45 million or 45 millions?
Lady Soin - November 13, 2022, 2:09 pm Reply
So the advert for the Chace Bank does say it wrong. Thought so!
hamza - July 5, 2023, 4:48 pm Reply
I don’t get it
xnxx - September 4, 2023, 11:38 am Reply
On the subject of dollars and amounts of money, there is another common xnxx.llc question worth answering: which of the following is correct?

FAQs

Do we say 2 million or 2 millions? ›

You say a, one, two, several, etc. million without a final “s” on “million.”Millions (of…) can be used if there is no number or quantity before it. Always use a plural verb with million or millions, except when an amount of money is mentionedFour million (people) were affected.

Get More Info ›

How to write 2 million in a sentence? ›

2000000 in Words can be written as Two Million. If you have saved 2000000 dollars, then you can write, “I have just saved Two Million dollars.” Two Million is the cardinal number word of 2000000 which denotes a quantity.

Read On ›

Is a million plural or singular? ›

Word forms: plural millions language note: The plural form is million after a number, or after a word or expression referring to a number, such as 'several' or 'a few'. A million or one million is the number 1,000,000. Up to five million people a year visit the county.

Read On ›

Is it a couple of million or millions? ›

The phrase 'couple of million' is correct and usable in written English.

Read On ›

Should we write million or millions? ›

You say a, one, two, several, etc. million without a final 's' on 'million'. Millions (of…) can be used if there is no number or quantity before it.

Is it 2+ million or 2 million? ›

It depends, 2+million = 3M, 4M, etc. 2 million+ = 2.01M, 2.1M, 2.2M, etc. And 2 million+ is more commonly used.

How do you write millions correctly? ›

When writing, the guide advises, to use figures only for anything less than a million, but spell out “million,” “billion,” and 'trillion” for numbers of 1 million or greater, such as 2.4 billion. Furthermore, the Associated Press recommends abbreviating millions as “M” and billions as “B” in headlines.

Discover More Details ›

Should 2 million be spelled out? ›

The Chicago Manual of Style recommends spelling numbers zero up to and including one hundred and using figures (1,2,3,4 etc.) after that. In addition, CMS recommends spelling whole numbers in combination with hundred, thousand, million, billion and so on ($1 million, $500 billion).

Is 2 million capitalized? ›

million, billion, hundred, thousand are NOT capitalized, and neither are the words “billionaire” or “millionaire” as they are considered to be professions, and they follow the spelling rules of that class.

Learn More Now ›

Is it half million or half millions? ›

“Half a million” is standard. “A half million” is not, because we count in thousands and millions. The same applies to billion. We also would not usually say “I ate a half cake”.

Find Out More ›

Is it 1.5 million or millions? ›

It is a plural form of the word "million" and can be used to indicate an unspecified large number in the millions range. Yes, the term "millions" can be used to refer to one million or more than one million. It is a plural form of "million" and can be used to represent any number within the millions range.

Read On ›

Is it 200 million or two hundred million? ›

Answer and Explanation: Written as a number two hundred million is 200,000,000. The decimal value of one million is 1,000,000 or 1 followed by 6 zeros. To write 200 million we add the number 200 in front of the zeros for 1 million, giving us 200,000,000.

Find Out More ›

Is it 51 million or millions? ›

The word “million” is defined as the number 1,000,000. When plural, as in “millions,” it refers to multiples of 1,000,000. In its simplest terms, a million is “one thousand thousand”. The word “million” is most often used in reference to money, but is also frequently used in exaggeration.

Discover More ›

Is it 1.9 million or millions? ›

It is a plural form of the word "million" and can be used to indicate an unspecified large number in the millions range. Yes, the term "millions" can be used to refer to one million or more than one million. It is a plural form of "million" and can be used to represent any number within the millions range.

Keep Reading ›

How do you say 2 million in figures? ›

1 million is written as 1,000,000. 2 million is writtten as 2,000,000.

Read The Full Story ›

How do you abbreviate $2 million? ›

In finance and accounting, MM (or lowercase “mm”) commonly denotes that the units of figures presented are in millions.

Learn More ›

How do you say 2 million dollars? ›

Sound it Out: Break down the word '2 million dollars' into its individual sounds "mil" + "yuhn dol" + "uhz". Say these sounds out loud, exaggerating them at first. Practice until you can consistently produce them clearly.

Learn More ›