Want to Know How Many Zeros In…?

Most of us are pretty confident with what to call numbers that end with three or six zeroes. After that, things can get a little fuzzy.

Part of the problem arises from the fact that some cultures use different names for the same number. English and Arabic-speaking countries tend to use the Short Scale, while Latin and continental Europe is enamored with the Long Scale. See this article for further explanation.

If we limit our discussion to the Short Scale, the following is the nomenclature for the primary sets of numbers:

Scientific notation	American name (Short Scale)	European name(Long Scale)	Old-British name (Long Scale)
100	One	One	One
101	Ten	Ten	Ten
102	Hundred	Hundred	Hundred
103	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand
104	Ten thousand	Ten thousand	Ten thousand
105	Hundred thousand	Hundred thousand	Hundred thousand
106	Million	Miljoen	Million
109	Billion	Miljard	Thousand million
1012	Trillion	Biljoen	Billion
1015	Quadrillion	quadriljoen	Thousand billion
1018	Quintillion	kwintiljoen	Trillion
1021	Sextillion	Sekstiljoen	Thousand trillion
1024	Septillion	Septiljoen	Quadrillion
1027	Octillion	Octillion	Thousand quadrillion
1030	Nonillion	Nie-miljoen	Quintillion
1033	Decillion	Desilljoen	Thousand quintillion
1036	Undecillion	Ondecillion	Sextillion
1039	Duodecillion	Duodecillion	Thousand sextillion
1042	Tredecillion	Tredecillion	Septillion
1045	Quattuordecillion	Quatttuor-Decillion	Thousand septillion
1048	Quindecillion	kwiljoen	Octillion
1051	Sexdecillion	Sexdecillion	Thousand octillion
1054	Septendecillion	Septen-Decillion	Nonillion
1057	Octodecillion	Octodecillion	Thousand nonillion
1060	Novemdecillion	Novemdecillion	Decillion
1063	Vigintillion	Vigintillion	Thousand decillion
1066	Unvigintillion	Undecillion	Undecillion
1069	Duovigintillion	Undecilliard	Thousand undecillion
1072	Trevigintillion	Duodecillion	Duodecillion
1075	Quattuorvigintillion	Duodecilliard	Thousand duodecillion
1078	Quinvigintillion	Tredecillion	Tredecillion
1081	Sexvigintillion	Tredecilliard	Thousand tredecillion
1084	Septenvigintillion	Quattuordecillion	Quattuordecillion
1087	Octovigintillion	Quattuordecilliard	Thousand quattuordecillion
1090	Novemvigintillion	Quindecillion	Quindecillion
1093	Trigintillion	Quindecilliard	Thousand quindecillion
1096	Untrigintillion	Sexdecillion	Sexdecillion
1099	Duotrigintillion	Sexdecilliard	Thousand sexdecillion
10100	Googol	Googol	Googol
10102	Tretrigintillion	Septendecillion	Septendecillion
10105	Quattuortrigintillion	Septendecilliard	Thousand septedecillion
10108	Quintrigintillion	Octodecillion	Octodecillion
10111	Sextrigintillion	Octodecilliard	Thousand octodecillion
10114	Septentrigintillion	Novemdecillion	Novemdecillion
10117	Octotrigintillion	Novemdecilliard	Thousand novemdecillion
10120	Novemtrigintillion	Vigintillion	Vigintillion
10303	Centillion	Centillion	Thousand quinquagintillion
10googol	Googolplex	Googolplex	Googolplex
10googolplex	Googolplexian	Googolplexian	Googolplexian
10googolplexian	Googolplexianplex	Googolplexianplex	Googolplexianplex
10googolplexianplex	Googolplexianplexian	Googolplexianplexian	Googolplexianplexian

Of course, once you get too far down this list, things become theoretical. Even so, that did not stop one man from trying to sue for $2 undecillion.

There are between 10⁷⁸ to 10⁸²atoms in the observable universe. That’s between a quinvigintillionten and ten sexvigintillion atoms. As inconceivable as that number may be, an even larger number (the Shannon Number) is needed to describe the number of possible moves in a game of chess.

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