hundredvshundredthWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: hundred is a num, hundredth is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“hundred” is a num and “hundredth” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,000
“hundred” frequency rank
#36,609
“hundredth” frequency rank
38609
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hundred hundredth
Definition A numerical value equal to 100 (10²), occurring after ninety-nine. The ordinal form of the number one hundred.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hundred and hundredth apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
hundred
9 ch
hundredth

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hundred is /ˈhʌn.dɹəd/ while hundredth is /ˈhʌndɹə(d)θ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “hundred” sits inside “hundredth”, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38609, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hundred is recorded at frequency rank #2,000, classified as anum, pronounced /ˈhʌn.dɹəd/. hundredth is at rank #36,609, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈhʌndɹə(d)θ/.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 38609, this pair ranks #284,398 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of hundred vs hundredth

Shared letters: dehnru. Private to "hundred": -. Private to "hundredth": t.

"hundred" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "hundredth" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • hundredhhundred · hnudred · hudnred · hunddred · hunderd · hundrde · hundredd · hundrred
  • hundredthhhundredth · hnudredth · hudnredth · hunddredth · hunderdth · hundrdeth · hundreddth · hundredht

Frequency comparison

hundred#2,000
hundredth#36,609

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hundred" and "hundredth" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "hundred" is a num and "hundredth" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "hundred" or "hundredth"?
"hundred" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,000 in our English list, against #36,609 for "hundredth". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering hundred vs hundredth

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a num, it's “hundred”; for an adjective, it's “hundredth”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “hundred” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list