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What are regular number words?

Science-based regular number words clearly and consistently communicate place value.

Two simple changes, both backed by science

Ten One Math makes just two changes to English number words — and both come straight from why children in China, Japan and Korea tend to find early math easier.

#1Perfect place value

We remove the 17 number words English doesn't need. Irregular words like eleven, twelve, thirteen and twenty don't tell a child anything about place value — they simply have to be memorized. So we drop them, exactly like Chinese does, and let the numbers speak for themselves: 11 is “ten one,” 12 is “ten two,” and 24 is “two ten four.” The words now say what the numbers mean.

#2Single-syllable

Every number from 1 to 10 becomes a single syllable. Nine of them already are; only “seven” has two syllables, so we shorten it to “sev.” That trims the total syllables in one-through-ten from 11 down to 10 — cutting what a child has to hold in mind by nearly 10%. And that matters: working memory holds about as many numbers as a child can say in roughly two seconds, so shorter number words literally let them keep more in their head at once. It's one real reason Chinese-speaking children count and calculate with less effort — fewer syllables, less to juggle, easier math.

Together, these two changes hand English-speaking children almost all of the head start that Chinese number words give — roughly 99% of that free, built-in advantage — except now it's in English, so it's accessible, easy and fun.

Free stuff for math learners!

Want to help a young learner get ahead? It's all free. Use the printables to learn to count 1–100, try the number-word calculator to learn how to say any number up to 15 digits, and watch the video below — real proof that even a preschooler can pick this up.