five hundred: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
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Quick answer
What does “five hundred” mean?
The cardinal number equivalent to the product of five and one hundred.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The cardinal number equivalent to the product of five and one hundred; 500.
Used to refer to a specific quantity, a score in certain games, or figuratively to a large, often impressive, number.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in the numeral itself. Writing conventions for cheques/checks may vary (e.g., 'five hundred pounds' vs. 'five hundred dollars').
Connotations
In both varieties, it can connote a substantial but not overwhelming amount.
Frequency
Commonly used in finance, statistics, and everyday quantification.
Grammar
How to Use “five hundred” in a Sentence
[five hundred] + [plural noun] (e.g., five hundred employees)[Verb] + [five hundred] + [noun] (e.g., raised five hundred pounds)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “five hundred” in a Sentence
adjective
British English
- She wrote a five-hundred-word essay.
- He owns a five-hundred-year-old cottage.
American English
- She wrote a five-hundred-word essay.
- He owns a five-hundred-year-old house.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Common in financial reports, budgets, and sales targets (e.g., 'We shipped five hundred units this quarter').
Academic
Used in historical dating, statistical data, and scientific measurements (e.g., 'a sample of five hundred respondents').
Everyday
Used for distances, prices, crowd sizes, and quantities (e.g., 'It's about five hundred metres away').
Technical
Specific codes (HTTP status 500), engine capacities (500cc), or model numbers (Chrysler 500).
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “five hundred”
- Incorrectly adding 's' to 'hundred' (e.g., 'five hundreds people').
- Using a singular noun after it (e.g., 'five hundred mile' instead of 'five hundred miles').
- Incorrect hyphenation in attributive position (e.g., 'a five hundred page book' should be 'a five-hundred-page book').
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is grammatically singular when referring to the number itself (e.g., 'Five hundred is a large number'), but it takes a plural verb when it refers to a plural number of things (e.g., 'Five hundred people are attending').
It is written as '500'. When writing cheques or formal documents, it is often written in words, e.g., 'Five hundred and 00/100'.
Hyphenate when it is part of a compound adjective before a noun, e.g., 'a five-hundred-year legacy'. Do not hyphenate when it stands alone, e.g., 'five hundred years ago'.
'Five hundred' is the cardinal number. 'A five hundred' is informal and typically refers to a specific thing numbered 500, like a bus route, a model number (e.g., 'a Ferrari 500'), or a score in a game.
The cardinal number equivalent to the product of five and one hundred.
Five hundred is usually neutral in register.
Five hundred: in British English it is pronounced /ˌfaɪv ˈhʌn.drəd/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌfaɪv ˈhʌn.drɪd/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “the five hundred (historical/reference to elite groups, e.g., the Indianapolis 500)”
- “batting five hundred (from baseball, meaning a 50% success rate, used figuratively)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a high score in a game: 'If I score five hundred points, I get five gold stars.'
Conceptual Metaphor
QUANTITY IS SIZE/VOLUME (e.g., 'a five-hundred-page novel' implies a substantial read).
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence uses 'five hundred' correctly?