“Two million” or “two millions”? (2024)

Stuart Cook February 19, 2012 Grammar articles 52

I received emails from two people last week asking about the word million. Both people asked the same question:

”What is the plural of million?

Is it millions, or is it million (without ‘s’)?”

The answer is that million, like the words hundred, thousand and billion, has two possible plural endings. Sometimes we say million, sometimes millions.

Withoutthe plural ending -s

1. We don’t add ‘s’ when we give an exact number:

  • two million pounds
  • two thousand years
  • threehundred
  • four billion.

2. Wedon’t add ‘s’ when we use a quantifier like several or a few:

  • several million years
  • a few thousand dollars
  • a few hundred.

With the plural ending -s

Add ‘s’ if you don’t give an exact number:

  • hundreds of people
  • thousands of years
  • millions of dollars.

That’s the rule. It’s nice and simple!

“Two million” or “two millions”? (1)

On the subject of dollars and amounts of money, there is another common question worth answering: which of the following is correct?

1. There is a hundred dollars in my wallet.
or
2. There are a hundred dollars in my wallet.

The first sentence is correct. We see an amount of money as a whole thing, and so we useis, not are.

Here are some more examples:

  • Give me back that ten pounds you owe me. (not those ten pounds)
  • Two million euros is difficult to earn. (not are difficult)

Do you have a question about this grammar? Do you have any more examples? Please leave a message below in the comments section.

“Two million” or “two millions”? (2)

By Stuart Cook

Stuart is an English teacher and runs the Speakspeak website. He currently lives in Prague and has been teaching for over 25 years. ⎜Get Stuart's e-booksContact

52 Comments

  1. “Two million” or “two millions”? (3)

    nick - July 29, 2012, 9:54 am Reply

    thanx cook…that kinda helped.

  2. “Two million” or “two millions”? (4)

    jiri - January 16, 2013, 6:08 pm Reply

    good stuff, cheers

  3. “Two million” or “two millions”? (5)

    Helen - May 27, 2013, 5:25 pm Reply

    Thank you! Your explanation is very clear and easy to understand.

  4. “Two million” or “two millions”? (6)

    Manuel - May 28, 2013, 11:42 am Reply

    Yeah i understand

    • “Two million” or “two millions”? (7)

      Anonymous - September 25, 2021, 1:49 pm Reply

      Ese último ejemplo no lo entendí, gracias

  5. “Two million” or “two millions”? (8)

    Francesca - September 11, 2013, 10:45 am Reply

    Hi,
    what if i have to say “3 million of us” ?
    Do I add the final -s?
    Thanks a lot.

    • “Two million” or “two millions”? (9)

      Stuart Cook - September 11, 2013, 11:02 am Reply

      Three million of us is correct – no ‘s’.
      Without the number, it’s with ‘s’: There were millions of us.

      • “Two million” or “two millions”? (10)

        Pjotr - September 10, 2023, 2:37 pm Reply

        “Without the number, it’s with ‘s’: There were millions of us|.

        Is that so? Henry Knox, US Secretary of War, in his raport to Congress in 1787 wrote: ” The expense od such an armament if succesful for the two years could not be estimated less than two millions of dollars…”

        Sure, Mr Knox, a bookeeper by profession, or a congressional copyist, might not have been versed with English.
        English grammar might have undergone some subtle alterations.

        But since when has this been considered wrong?

        [Link deleted]

    • “Two million” or “two millions”? (12)

      Robert - October 19, 2020, 5:36 pm Reply

      I am in debt of $150 from my friend. Is the sentence correct or should I use some other preposition?

  6. “Two million” or “two millions”? (13)

    ali - November 6, 2013, 5:27 pm Reply

    a good English teacher .. better than millions of them 🙂

  7. “Two million” or “two millions”? (14)

    Edosa King - January 3, 2014, 6:18 am Reply

    Thank you.
    Am a millionaire in Dollars
    Am a millionaire in Dollar
    Which of them is more appropriate…

    • “Two million” or “two millions”? (15)

      Stuart Cook - January 3, 2014, 5:44 pm Reply

      A millionaire in dollars is correct.

  8. “Two million” or “two millions”? (16)

    Alonso - January 5, 2014, 9:52 am Reply

    Please, which is correct “all the house was dirty Or all of the house was dirty?

    Thanks in advance

  9. “Two million” or “two millions”? (17)

    rama - March 11, 2014, 6:04 pm Reply

    do i say 20 million chinese muslim or 20 million chinese muslims

    • “Two million” or “two millions”? (18)

      Stuart Cook - March 11, 2014, 8:20 pm Reply

      20 million Chinese muslims is correct.

      • “Two million” or “two millions”? (19)

        rama - March 15, 2014, 2:42 pm Reply

        thank you

  10. “Two million” or “two millions”? (20)

    rama - March 15, 2014, 2:47 pm Reply

    which part do i use although with
    is it according to the sentence?does matter if i switch ?
    e.g : although she is beautiful , she isn’t married .
    but could i say although she isn’t married , she is beautiful .

  11. “Two million” or “two millions”? (21)

    Moshe - April 19, 2014, 6:30 pm Reply

    Which is correct: 10 million dollar, or 10 million dollars?
    Thanks

    • “Two million” or “two millions”? (22)

      Stuart Cook - April 19, 2014, 9:24 pm Reply

      “10 million dollars” is correct.

      • “Two million” or “two millions”? (23)

        Moshe - April 19, 2014, 9:31 pm Reply

        Thank you!

  12. “Two million” or “two millions”? (24)

    Noak Sten - May 24, 2014, 1:44 pm Reply

    nice, thanks!

  13. “Two million” or “two millions”? (25)

    rama - May 25, 2014, 5:01 pm Reply

    please answer my questions
    do i say the selection and mixing of the different kinds of fabric is done by experts.
    or the selection and mixing of the different kinds of fabric are done by experts.
    please answer quicly

    • “Two million” or “two millions”? (26)

      Stuart Cook - May 25, 2014, 10:36 pm Reply

      is done

    • “Two million” or “two millions”? (27)

      Ekaterina - November 14, 2020, 1:34 pm Reply

      Hi,

      would you say “A million of flowers grow there” or rather “grows” ?

      Thanks a lot!

  14. “Two million” or “two millions”? (28)

    Confused - June 5, 2014, 9:03 pm Reply

    hi, I don’t quite get it- on one hand you say don’t use the ending -s when giving an exact number but on the other hand you wrote
    “give me back that 10 poundS you owe me”
    typo or does that rule specifically apply to words milion/hundred/thousand/bilion and no others

    • “Two million” or “two millions”? (29)

      Stuart Cook - June 5, 2014, 9:32 pm Reply

      The rule ‘We don’t add ‘s’ when we give an exact number’ applies only to the words hundred, thousand, million, billion, etc. It’s correct to say twenty pounds, ten dollars, etc.

  15. “Two million” or “two millions”? (30)

    Confused - June 5, 2014, 9:55 pm Reply

    clear now! thank you and wow what a prompt reply:) best regards

  16. “Two million” or “two millions”? (31)

    Alessandra - June 18, 2014, 6:21 pm Reply

    Hi!
    Found in an academic book: “..there were a total of 5.5 million Malays..”
    Wouldn’t be rather right to say “there was”?
    Thank you!

    • “Two million” or “two millions”? (32)

      Stuart Cook - June 18, 2014, 9:09 pm Reply

      Good question, Alessandra.

      There were is correct in your example, as we see 5.5 million people as plural. The same rule applies to a number of and a few:

      A number of survivors were found; a few of them were uninjured.

      The rule is:
      a total of . . . were,
      but
      the total of . . . was.

      It’s also worth noting that in the example you gave a total of is redundant, i.e. it’s unnecessary. It’s enough to say There were 5.5 million Malays.

      • “Two million” or “two millions”? (33)

        Alessandra - June 19, 2014, 9:08 am Reply

        Academic books have to be redundant, you know!
        Thank you for your kind reply.

  17. “Two million” or “two millions”? (34)

    sonia zarif - February 7, 2015, 6:14 pm Reply

    Hi.your comments are really helpful.i have a problem
    Three dollers were spent or
    Three dollars was spent

    • “Two million” or “two millions”? (35)

      Stuart Cook - February 11, 2015, 11:21 pm Reply

      Three dollars was spent. We see an amount as a singular thing. Similarly, we’d say: Here is the ten dollars that you lent me.

  18. “Two million” or “two millions”? (36)

    Victor - January 11, 2016, 8:10 pm Reply

    Hello! Your explanations are really helpful, but I have a question. If I ask (or reask):

    – How many million(s)?
    – There are five million(s).

    Without a noun. I’m interested in the amount of millions / hundreds / thousands. Do I need the ‘s’ ending or not?

  19. “Two million” or “two millions”? (37)

    Johnny - February 18, 2016, 5:53 am Reply

    How can I describe below?

    Some one ask: What is your daily business volume?

    Me: I want to say my business volume is between 30 million dollars and 90 million dollars. Is there a word cover range between 30million to 90million?

  20. “Two million” or “two millions”? (38)

    matt - May 10, 2016, 3:17 pm Reply

    What is correct?
    There are thousands and thousands of dollars in my pocket.
    or
    There is thousands and thousands of dollars in my pocket.
    Thank you for an utterly informative article!
    matt

    • “Two million” or “two millions”? (39)

      Stuart Cook - May 10, 2016, 6:29 pm Reply

      There are

      • “Two million” or “two millions”? (40)

        matt - May 12, 2016, 1:34 pm Reply

        Thanks a million!
        By the same token, it would be correct to say
        Please give me back that several million dollars you owe me. (quantifier)
        Please give me back those millions of dollars you owe me. (number is not exact)
        Right?
        Much appreciated!
        Matt

      • “Two million” or “two millions”? (41)

        matt - May 12, 2016, 1:34 pm Reply

        Thanks a million!
        By the same token, it would be correct to say
        Please give me back that several million dollars you owe me. (quantifier)
        Please give me back those millions of dollars you owe me. (number is not exact)
        Right?
        Much appreciated!
        Matt

        • “Two million” or “two millions”? (42)

          Ma`soumeh bagheri - October 21, 2019, 6:50 pm Reply

          Hi thank you loads
          Your answers are so clear and helpful

          But what about these sentences
          Two hundred people are needed
          Or two hundred people is needed
          Thanks in advance

  21. “Two million” or “two millions”? (43)

    Annemarie Dowds - April 21, 2017, 8:45 am Reply

    I saw that you wrote “euros” not “euro”. Is it that we use “euros” for general conversation and “euro” for formal writing?

  22. “Two million” or “two millions”? (45)

    Den - February 27, 2019, 4:53 pm Reply

    Thank you!

  23. “Two million” or “two millions”? (46)

    Ma'soumeh bagheri - October 21, 2019, 7:02 pm Reply

    Hi .
    Thanks for useful explanations
    Which one is correct
    There is /are two hundred people here.
    Thanks a lot

  24. “Two million” or “two millions”? (47)

    maged - April 9, 2020, 7:55 am Reply

    I need a million dollars in cash…. this sentence is right or mistake and why

  25. “Two million” or “two millions”? (48)

    Anonymous - April 10, 2020, 8:55 am Reply

    a few stars are known which are hardly bigger than the earth but most of them are so large that hundreds of thousands of Earth’s could be packed inside each.
    So explain me why therz s with thousands though we have 100 given?
    I’ll be thankful

    • “Two million” or “two millions”? (49)

      Tonto McGregor - June 9, 2020, 6:14 pm Reply

      If you say hundreds OF thousands then it is still not stating a number.. but it is defining a ballpark figure. More than 99 thousand but less than a million. You’re not specifying an exact number like “there was twenty thousand Earths” (note the complex loss of the “of” for another complicated topic). But just like “millions of Earths” “hundreds of thousands of Earth” both do not specify how many and therefore the plural is required.

  26. “Two million” or “two millions”? (50)

    Siadou - July 4, 2020, 3:43 pm Reply

    Is it correct to say population of about four millions or population of about four millions

  27. “Two million” or “two millions”? (51)

    Leo - August 27, 2020, 8:34 am Reply

    which is right, 45 million or 45 millions?

  28. “Two million” or “two millions”? (52)

    Lady Soin - November 13, 2022, 2:09 pm Reply

    So the advert for the Chace Bank does say it wrong. Thought so!

  29. “Two million” or “two millions”? (53)

    hamza - July 5, 2023, 4:48 pm Reply

    I don’t get it

  30. “Two million” or “two millions”? (54)

    xnxx - September 4, 2023, 11:38 am Reply

    On the subject of dollars and amounts of money, there is another common xnxx.llc question worth answering: which of the following is correct?

Leave a Reply

“Two million” or “two millions”? (2024)

FAQs

“Two million” or “two millions”? ›

"Two million". As the plot shows, "two millions" has long been the standard expression. However, starting around 1850, its usage declined while "two million" rose in popularity. Around 1920, "two million" became the new norm, and today "two millions" is rarely used, except by traditionalists like Gordon Brown.

Is it 2 million or 2 millions dollars? ›

million without a final “s” on “million.”Millions (of…) can be used if there is no number or quantity before it. Always use a plural verb with million or millions, except when an amount of money is mentionedFour million (people) were affected. Two million (dollars) was withdrawn from the account.

How do you write two millions? ›

For 2000000 we see that the digits in units = 0, tens = 0, hundreds = 0, thousands = 0, millions = 2. Therefore 2000000 in words is written as Two Million.

What is the meaning of 2 millions? ›

noun. 1. a thousand thousands; 1,000,000. 2. a million (unspecified but understood) monetary units, as dollars, pounds, francs, etc.

Is it 2.5 million or 2.5 millions? ›

You say a, one, two, several, etc. million without a final 's' on 'million'. Millions (of…) can be used if there is no number or quantity before it.

Is it five million or five millions? ›

Don't add '-s' to the word million when you put another number in front of it. Don't say, for example, 'five millions dollars'. Say 'five million dollars'. Over five million people visit the country every year.

How do you write $2 million? ›

two million dollars or $2 million or $2 000 000 or $2,000,000. a two-million dollar loan.

How do you abbreviate 2 million dollars? ›

In finance and accounting, MM (or lowercase “mm”) commonly denotes that the units of figures presented are in millions.

How do you write 2 million in an essay? ›

Do not write numbers of a million or more as figures. For large round numbers, use words. three million, twelve billion. For large mixed numbers, use a figure-plus-word combination: 12.8 billion, 23.2 million.

Is it 1.9 million or millions? ›

The plural starts at 2. We write: 1.9 million. 2 millions.

Is it a million dollar or a million dollars? ›

Thanks for the A2A. When you are talking about an amount of money, it is “a million dollars” wit the “s” on the end because it is more than one dollar, but if you are describing something, such as “a million-dollar home” it is singular, without the “s” on the end.

Why don't we say millions? ›

Because “million” is already a quantity. So saying “3 million” is simply saying “3 sets of a million.” On the other hand, we say “millions of…” to indicate a multiple quantity of a million when we don't know or don't wish to attach a specific number to it. “Millions” grammatically means two or more million.

How do you write one two million? ›

Since 1 million is equal to 1,000,000, 1.2 million must be equal to 1.2 times 1,000,000. Therefore, to convert 1.2 million to number form, we multiply 1.2 times 1,000,000. We get that 1.2 million in number form is 1,200,000, and we see that there are five zeroes in 1,200,000.

What is the plural of million? ›

million /ˈmɪljən/ noun. plural millions or million.

How do you write 2 million dollars on a resume? ›

The best (and most common) way to abbreviate millions on a resume is “MM.” It's clear and easy to understand, which is the key to successfully abbreviating numbers.

Is there a hyphen between million and dollar? ›

It is more than $10 million in loans. The word "dollars" becomes singular, "dollar," when this combination is used as an adjective. It is said as "two million DOLLAR loan." The dollar sign is still used. However, because the combination is already considered to be a unit, there is no hyphen.

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