When writing out amounts of money in words, there are some rules to follow for proper formatting. Writing out $1 million requires knowing how to express large numbers and decimals in words, as well as following standard conventions for writing currency.
Basic Rules
Here are the basic guidelines for writing out dollar amounts in words:
- Spell out the whole number portion. For example, one million instead of 1 million.
- Use the word “and” before the cents. For example, one hundred twenty-three dollars and forty-five cents.
- Always put the currency symbol before the spelled out amount. For example, $1 million.
Writing Out the Whole Number Portion
To write out the whole number portion of $1 million:
- Start with the number one.
- Follow it with the word “million.”
So the whole number portion becomes: one million
Adding the Cents
Since $1 million is a round number with no cents, we do not need to add anything for cents. But if we were writing out $1,000,123.45, for example, we would add:
- The word “and”
- The cents portion written out (forty-five cents)
Making the full amount: one million twenty-three dollars and forty-five cents
Putting it All Together
According to the rules, $1 million is written out as:
$1 million
or
One million dollars
Additional Examples
Here are some other examples of writing out dollar amounts in words:
| Numeric Amount | Written Out |
|---|---|
| $500 | Five hundred dollars |
| $1,000 | One thousand dollars |
| $10,000 | Ten thousand dollars |
| $100,000 | One hundred thousand dollars |
| $1,000,000 | One million dollars |
| $1,000,000.50 | One million fifty dollars and fifty cents |
Tips for Writing Large Dollar Amounts
- Always start with the word “one” no matter how many zeros follow. For example, $10 million is “ten million,” not “ten millions.”
- Hyphenate between words when numbers are spelled out. For example, “twenty-five million” not “twenty five million.”
- Use commas when writing out long numbers. For example, ten million, two hundred fifty thousand, one hundred dollars.
- Keep decimals and fractions in numeric form. For example, $1,000,250.375 is “one million, two hundred fifty thousand, two hundred fifty dollars and thirty-seven cents.”
Conclusion
Writing out dollar amounts follows standard conventions to spell out the words for the whole number portion, properly insert “and” and the cents, and always put the $ before the amount. The key for large numbers like $1 million is to start with “one” and spell out the word “million” after it. Following these rules allows you to properly write out dollar amounts like $1 million or other large sums.