twenty-three
HighNeutral to Formal
Definition
Meaning
The cardinal number equivalent to the sum of twenty and three.
The natural number following twenty-two and preceding twenty-four; can refer to an age, quantity, or position in a sequence.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Typically written with a hyphen. In sports contexts, especially basketball, '23' is iconic (e.g., Michael Jordan's jersey). Can be used idiomatically.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in numeric meaning. Usage patterns (e.g., in dates, sports) may show regional cultural variance.
Connotations
Neutral as a number. The age 23 may culturally mark the start of post-university life.
Frequency
Equally frequent in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
NUM + N (twenty-three people)BE + NUM (He is twenty-three.)NUM + of + N (twenty-three of them)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Twenty-three skidoo! (historical US slang for 'go away')”
- “catch-23 (a variation on 'catch-22')”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
"Q2 revenue grew by twenty-three percent."
Academic
"The sample consisted of twenty-three participants."
Everyday
"I'll be there at twenty-three minutes past."
Technical
"The IPv4 address range 224.0.0.0/4 is reserved for multicast (up to twenty-three bits of network)."
Examples
By Part of Speech
noun
British English
- The winning lottery numbers were seven and twenty-three.
- He wore the iconic twenty-three on his football shirt.
American English
- Her jersey number is twenty-three.
- Turn to chapter twenty-three for the summary.
adjective
British English
- She bought a twenty-three-metre length of fabric.
- It's a twenty-three-page document.
American English
- He's in a twenty-three-year contract.
- We need a twenty-three-foot ladder.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I am twenty-three years old.
- There are twenty-three students in my class.
- The meeting is scheduled for twenty-three minutes past three.
- He scored twenty-three points in the game.
- The study concluded that twenty-three percent of respondents strongly agreed.
- She inherited a flat on the twenty-third floor.
- The statute of limitations for that particular offence is twenty-three years.
- The manuscript dates from the twenty-third dynasty.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a basketball jersey with the number 23. Think: 'Two (2) and three (3) make twenty-three.'
Conceptual Metaphor
QUANTITY IS A CONTAINER (e.g., 'a box of twenty-three'), TIME IS A MOVING OBJECT (e.g., 'the year twenty-three').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid calquing the hyphen; Russian writes 'двадцать три' as separate words.
- English uses ordinal 'twenty-third' (23rd) where Russian uses 'двадцать третий'.
Common Mistakes
- Writing as '23th' instead of '23rd' for the ordinal.
- Pronouncing as 'twenty-three' with an overly strong /t/ in 'twenty' in fast speech.
Practice
Quiz
How is the ordinal form of 'twenty-three' correctly written?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, cardinal numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine are hyphenated when written out.
It is commonly /ˈtwɛni/ or /ˈtwʌni/ in casual speech, though /ˈtwɛnti/ is the formal standard.
No, 'twenty-three' is a numeral and does not have a standard verbal use.
In basketball, it is famously associated with player Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls, jersey #23).