twenty
A1Neutral; used in all registers from formal to informal.
Definition
Meaning
The number equal to 20; one more than nineteen.
Used to indicate a large but indefinite quantity (e.g., 'I've told you twenty times'). Can refer to a set or group of twenty items or people (e.g., 'a twenty of cigarettes'). Denotes a score of twenty points in certain games. Slang for a twenty-dollar or twenty-pound banknote.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
As a cardinal number, it is a base unit in the English counting system (e.g., twenty-one, twenty-two). In dates, it precedes the month (e.g., 'the twenty-first of May'). Used idiomatically to imply repetition or exaggeration.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in core meaning. Colloquial use of 'twenty' to mean 'a lot' is common in both. In sports scoring (cricket, darts), 'twenty' has specific UK connotations.
Connotations
In UK, 'twenty' is strongly associated with the age of majority (formerly 21, now 18, but 'twenty-something' remains). In US, 'twenty' is closely tied to the $20 bill.
Frequency
Extremely high frequency in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
NUM + N (twenty people)the + NUM + of + N (the twenty of us)NUM + or + NUM (twenty or thirty)NUM + N + ago (twenty years ago)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “twenty-twenty hindsight”
- “twenty to the dozen”
- “catch twenty-two”
- “ten-twenty-thirty (theatrical)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Referring to quantities, percentages, or monetary amounts ('a twenty percent increase').
Academic
Used in statistics, measurements, and historical dating ('twenty samples were analyzed').
Everyday
Extremely common for time, age, money, and quantities ('I'll be there in twenty minutes').
Technical
In computing, can refer to base-20 systems or specific codes (e.g., HTTP status code 204 has no '20' family).
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- To 'twenty' is not a standard verb.
American English
- To 'twenty' is not a standard verb.
adverb
British English
- Used adverbially in phrases like 'twenty-fold'.
American English
- Used adverbially in phrases like 'twenty-fold'.
adjective
British English
- The twenty participants gathered in the hall.
- She bought a twenty-metre length of fabric.
American English
- The twenty participants gathered in the hall.
- She bought a twenty-foot length of rope.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I am twenty years old.
- The bus arrives in twenty minutes.
- This book costs twenty pounds.
- Approximately twenty people attended the meeting.
- The discount was a significant twenty percent.
- He scored twenty runs before being bowled out.
- The project was completed in twenty-odd days, despite the setbacks.
- She's in her mid-twenties and already running her own business.
- The treaty was signed in the nineteen-twenties.
- With twenty-twenty hindsight, investing in that startup would have been foolish.
- The legislation passed by a margin of twenty votes.
- The phenomenon occurs roughly once in every twenty cycles.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'TWENT' as sounding like 'TWIN' – and twins often come in pairs, like the two tens that make twenty (10+10).
Conceptual Metaphor
QUANTITY IS NUMBER (core). EXCESS/REPETITION IS A LARGE NUMBER ('I've said it twenty times'). YOUTH/ERA IS A NUMBER ('the roaring twenties').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid confusing 'twenty' (двадцать) with 'twelve' (двенадцать). The stress pattern differs: English stress is on the first syllable 'TWEN-ty', not on the second.
Common Mistakes
- Pronouncing it as 'twenny' (swallowing the 't') is common but informal. Misspelling as 'twentu' or 'twenteen'. Incorrect pluralisation: 'twenties' (correct for the decade/age) vs. 'twentys' (incorrect).
Practice
Quiz
In which idiom does 'twenty' signify a paradoxical, no-win situation?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, informally to mean a twenty-pound or twenty-dollar note (e.g., 'Can you break a twenty?'). Also in darts/cricket for the score or relevant area of the board/pitch.
'A score' means twenty but is now archaic or poetic (e.g., 'four score and seven years ago'). 'Twenty' is the modern, universal term.
In careful speech, pronounce both 't' sounds. In rapid, informal American speech, the first 't' is often pronounced as a flap [ɾ] or a glottal stop, and the second 't' may be dropped, sounding like 'twenny'.
They come from different Old English roots: 'twenty' from 'twēntig' (related to 'two'), and 'twelve' from 'twelf' (related to 'two' and 'left over'). The spelling fossilises these historical forms.
Collections
Part of a collection
Numbers and Time
A1 · 50 words · Numbers, dates, days and expressions of time.