Saying years - how to speak, pronounce, year numbers ... 2020, 2090 (2025)

nircser said:

2020: twenty hundred twenty (or twenty twenty)
2090: twenty hundred nineteen ninety (or twenty nineteen ninety)

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Maybe in German, nircser, but not in English.
1905 = Nineteen hundred and five, but
2005 = Two thousand and five.

1990 = Nineteen ninety
2090 = Twenty ninety

picarol said:

Hello everyone!
I'm confused with years. We say 1994 (nineteen ninety-four) but 2001 (two thousand and one) But how do we say 2020? twenty twenty or two thousand and twenty? Does the same apply to 2090?
Thank you in advance!

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I've heard both twenty twenty and two thousand and twenty but I think twenty twenty is more common.

And yes - although we can say nineteen hundred and five we don't say twenty hundred and five. Strange.

Way back in 1969, Zagar and Evans had a hit with the song "In the year 2525".

The song also mentioned the years 3535, 4545, 5555, 6565, 7510, 8510 and 9595.

All year are in the form: twenty-five twenty-five, &c, and seventy-five ten,

timpeac said:

I've heard both twenty twenty and two thousand and twenty but I think twenty twenty is more common.

And yes - although we can say nineteen hundred and five we don't say twenty hundred and five. Strange.

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I don't think it strange at all.
British English doesn't refer to the 10x numbers as hundreds, it is always thousands - 1000 is not ten hundred, it is always one thousand. There is more to be argued about the lack of flexibility about the other numbers - 1100 can be one thousand one hundred, or eleven hundred - than about the round thousands.

You may say nineteen hundred and five, but my father was born in nineteen nine - or sometimes nineteen oh nine.

I don't do this, but if someone said:

twenty oh one
twenty oh six

I would not think it sounded weird.

I myself pronounce anything that is X-00-Y as X-thousand and Y. If it's X-0-WY, I would say: X0-hundred, WY. If it's X-0-X-0, I say X0, X0. If it's XVWY, I would say: XV,WY.

Not sure what I do when there are less than four digits... I guess then I just say it how I feel like saying it at that particular time in my life.

edit: should also say that if it's X-0-XY, I would say: X0,XY.

Jon

I've always pronounced dates as I do money.

902 or $902 - Nine (hundred) oh two
1000 - One thousand
1002 - One thousand two
1102 - Eleven (hundred) and/oh two
1502 - Fifteen (hundred) and/oh two
2002 - Two thousand two
2102 - Twenty-one (hundred) and/oh two
2502 - Twenty-five (hundred) and/oh two

So, 2020 has arrived how do you pronounce it?

two thousand and twenty
or
twenty twenty

???

JulianStuart said:

Twenty twenty is aready common in my usage and that of those around me and in the media. Much easier to say

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Thank you!
two thousand and twenty - wrong or not widely accepted?

Ivan_I said:

Thank you!
two thousand and twenty - wrong or not widely accepted?

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Never wrong, just a mouthful In a conversation about excellent eyesight I might say that (so as not to be confused with 20/20 vision)

Years in dates:
1820 --- eighteen twenty.
1920 --- nineteen twenty.
2020 --- twenty twenty.

Simples!

kentix said:

In a more formal context, "two thousand twenty". In a less formal context (the majority) 'twenty twenty".

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Surely not.

Rover_KE said:

I recommend twenty-twenty in all contexts.

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In the first decade of this millennium we did not have an established pronunciation. It seemed clear enough that it would eventually settle down to "twenty-something", but the film 2001: A Space Odyssey (released in 1968) was invariably pronounced "two thousand and one", and for a while "two thousand and..." seemed to be the favoured pronunciation. However, we are now twenty years in to the millennium, and I think "twenty something" is the indisputable winner.

Although I might now refer to the year as "twenty oh one", I'd still use "two thousand and one" for the film.

entangledbank said:

By mandatory do you mean that everyone says it, not just most people?

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I mean that every one MUST say that.

There is no law that states that everyone MUST say anything.

And we don't have an English Academy that dictates how we speak, or what words or phrases we are or are not allowed to use.

heypresto said:

And we don't have an English Academy that dictates how we speak, or what words or phrases we are or are not allowed to use.

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Yes. Glasnost and perestroika were welcomed into English-use without any announcement by the Queen.