eighty-fifth
B1Neutral, slightly formal when used in legal/administrative contexts.
Definition
Meaning
The ordinal number corresponding to the cardinal number eighty-five, positioned between the eighty-fourth and the eighty-sixth.
Indicates a specific position in a sequence, often a fraction (one eighty-fifth), or used metaphorically to describe something of mediocre or declining quality (e.g., 'his eighty-fifth attempt').
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily functions as an ordinal determiner/adjective. Can be used as a noun to denote the person or thing in that position, or the fraction (1/85). Unlike lower ordinals, it is rarely used idiomatically.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. In the UK, 'eighty-fifth' is the standard written form. In US English, '85th' is common in headlines and notes.
Connotations
Identical in both variants.
Frequency
Equally infrequent in both dialects, used as needed in sequencing.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[the] eighty-fifth + singular noun[in/on] the eighty-fifth + [of + month/year]the + eighty-fifth + to-infinitiveVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[No common idioms for this specific ordinal]”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used in reports or milestones, e.g., 'the company's eighty-fifth quarterly report'.
Academic
Used in referencing long sequences, e.g., 'the eighty-fifth iteration of the experiment'.
Everyday
Most common in celebrating birthdays/anniversaries for someone aged 85.
Technical
Used in precise sequencing, e.g., 'the eighty-fifth percentile' or 'the eighty-fifth element in the array'.
Examples
By Part of Speech
adjective
British English
- He celebrated his eighty-fifth birthday with a quiet party at home.
- The manuscript was found in the eighty-fifth box they searched.
American English
- She finished in eighty-fifth place in the marathon.
- The eighty-fifth Congress passed several key acts.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- My grandfather is eighty-five years old. Today is his eighty-fifth birthday.
- They live on the eighty-fifth floor of a very tall building.
- This is the eighty-fifth page of the book.
- The committee held its eighty-fifth session to discuss the ongoing crisis.
- He was the eighty-fifth person to cross the finish line.
- The treaty was ratified during the king's eighty-fifth year on the throne, a record for the monarchy.
- Only one eighty-fifth of the total sample exhibited the anomalous reaction.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a very tall building: 'I need to take the lift (elevator) all the way to the EIGHTY-FIFTH floor.' The stress is on 'fifth'.
Conceptual Metaphor
SEQUENCE IS A LINE/POSITION (a specific point on a long line).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Russian uses the genitive plural for the numerator in fractions, but English uses the ordinal: 'one eighty-fifth' (одна восемьдесят пятая) not 'one of eighty-five'.
Common Mistakes
- Writing 'eighty-five' (cardinal) instead of 'eighty-fifth' (ordinal).
- Mispronouncing /fɪfθ/ as /faɪfθ/ or /fɪθ/.
- Incorrect hyphenation: 'eighty fifth'.
Practice
Quiz
How is the fraction 1/85 correctly expressed in words?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, compound ordinals from twenty-first to ninety-ninth are hyphenated.
Yes, e.g., 'She was the eighty-fifth to arrive' or 'One eighty-fifth of the total'.
The main difficulty is the final cluster /fɪfθ/. Learners often simplify it to /fɪθ/ or mispronounce it as /faɪfθ/.
No difference in meaning. '85th' is the numeric abbreviation, common in informal writing, headings, or notes. 'Eighty-fifth' is the standard written form in prose.