The Numbers 11 to 25 in Spanish (pt. 2) – Lesson 16

Numbers in Spanish: part 2

In part 1 we learned the numbers 0 to 10, and first, second, third and last. Today we continue with 11 to 25.

Here’s some good news: the numbers 0 to 25 are actually the hardest Spanish numbers. Once you know these, the rest becomes much easier. And from 16 onwards, you’ll see it’s mostly a pattern.

11 to 15: learn these by heart

Number	Spanish	Sounds like
11	once	OHN-seh
12	doce	DOH-seh
13	trece	TREH-seh
14	catorce	ka-TOR-seh
15	quince	KEEN-seh

These five don’t follow a pattern, so you just need to learn them. Notice they all end in -ce: that c sounds like an s in Latin America, and like “th” in Spain.

16 to 19: ten and six

From 16 on it gets easy, because you already know 1 to 10! Take diez (10), add y (and), and add the number:

Number	Spanish	Literally
16	dieciséis	diez y seis: ten and six
17	diecisiete	diez y siete: ten and seven
18	dieciocho	diez y ocho: ten and eight
19	diecinueve	diez y nueve: ten and nine

It’s all written as one word. The z of diez changes into a c, and the y becomes an i: diez + y + seis → dieciséis.

20 to 25: veinte and up

Twenty is veinte. After that, it’s the same trick: twenty-and-one, twenty-and-two, and so on, again written as one word.

Number	Spanish
20	veinte
21	veintiuno
22	veintidós
23	veintitrés
24	veinticuatro
25	veinticinco

Watch the accents: dieciséis, veintidós and veintitrés have one. They show where the stress goes.

Why we stop at 25 for now

There are of course many more numbers (and we’ll get to them later in the course, after lesson 50 or so). But right now we’re focusing on the basics of the language. You don’t need 2,500 yet, so let’s put our energy into the things that matter most first.

Recap: numbers 11 to 25

Spanish	Number
once	11
doce	12
trece	13
catorce	14
quince	15
■■■■■■■■	■■■■■■■■
■■■■■■■■	■■■■■■■■
■■■■■■■■	■■■■■■■■

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Practice: say it in Spanish

Say the answer out loud, then click to check.

1. What’s 12 in Spanish?

doce

2. What’s 15 in Spanish?

quince

3. What’s 14 in Spanish?

catorce

4. What’s 18 in Spanish?

dieciocho: diez y ocho.

5. What’s 20 in Spanish?

veinte

6. What’s ten plus thirteen?

veintitrés

7. What’s eleven plus eleven?

veintidós

8. How do you say “I’m 19 years old”?

Tengo diecinueve años.

Quiz: numbers 11 to 25

10 questions. How high can you count?

Frequently asked questions

Why is it veintiún años and not veintiuno años?

Just like uno becomes un before a masculine noun (un café), veintiuno becomes veintiún: veintiún años. When you just count, you say veintiuno.

Can I write diez y seis instead of dieciséis?

You might see it in old texts, but today the correct way is one word: dieciséis, diecisiete, and so on.

Before you go to the next lesson

Now you can count all the way to 25! Practice them with flashcards, or count out loud during your day. Grab the free reference sheet below. ¡Hasta la próxima!