Roman Numerals

Level 1

Seven letters make every Roman number.

How It Works

LetterValue
Ione
Vfive
Xten
Lfifty
Cone hundred
Dfive hundred
Mone thousand

Read XLII like this: XL is forty (X before L, ten less than fifty), and II is two, so the number is forty-two.

You see Roman numerals on clocks, buildings, book chapters and film credits. The Latin words for the numbers come later, at Level 2.

I, X, C and M can repeat up to three times (III is three, XXX is thirty), but V, L and D never repeat. Clocks sometimes write four as IIII, but IV is the usual form.

Examples (5)

  1. III

    three

    Three strokes are added: one and one and one.

  2. IV

    four

    I stands before V, so one is taken away from five.

  3. XIV

    fourteen

    X is ten and IV is four, added together.

  4. XLII

    forty-two

    XL is ten taken from fifty, then II is added.

  5. MMXXVI

    two thousand and twenty-six

    MM is two thousand, XX is twenty and VI is six.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing eight as two ones before a ten.

    IIX
    VIII

    Only one smaller letter can stand before a larger one. Eight is five plus three: VIII.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Roman NumeralsLevel 1

Learn This First

Roman numerals are letters of the Latin alphabet, so the overview of Latin is enough.