In Spanish, 130 000 is written as “ciento treinta mil” and said as “SYEN-toh TREYN-tah meel.”
You’ll run into 130 000 in invoices, payroll, analytics, school reports, and headcounts. The Spanish part is easy once you know the core form. The messy part is formatting: English habits push people toward commas and periods that Spanish style guides don’t want for thousands.
This piece gives you the correct spelling, a natural-sounding way to say it, and a set of ready-to-copy patterns for money, totals, and clean typography. If you write Spanish for work, it also helps you keep your numbers consistent across docs, spreadsheets, and web forms.
How the number is built in Spanish
130 000 equals “one hundred thirty thousand.” In Spanish, it’s a cardinal numeral formed by a hundreds word, a tens word, and mil (“thousand”). Put together, the standard written form in words is:
ciento treinta mil
Why it’s “ciento” and not “cien”
Spanish uses cien for exactly 100, and ciento for 101–199 when another numeral follows. That’s why you write cien personas (100 people) but ciento treinta mil personas (130,000 people). Here, the number continues after the hundred, so ciento is the form that fits.
Why “mil” stays singular
When mil works as a numeral (“one thousand,” “thousand”), it stays singular. You write ciento treinta mil, not ciento treinta miles. The plural miles shows up when you mean “thousands” as a noun in a looser sense, like miles de personas (“thousands of people”). That’s a different construction.
How to say it without sounding stiff
Don’t chase perfect phonetics. Aim for steady rhythm and clear vowels. A practical pronunciation cue is:
- SYEN-toh (ciento)
- TREYN-tah (treinta)
- meel (mil)
Say it as one smooth line: ciento treinta mil. In many accents, the vowels stay short and the stress lands on SYEN, TREYN, and meel.
130 000 in Spanish with correct spacing and wording
In Spanish typography, thousands are grouped with a space, not a comma and not a period. The RAE entry on writing numbers explains that comma and period are reserved for separating decimals, while digit grouping is done with a space (a thin space in professional typography).
So, in running text you’ll often see:
- 130 000 (grouped with a space)
- 130000 (no space, used when a system can’t handle spacing)
The RAE guidance on the thousands separator repeats the same idea and points to a thin space as the preferred typographic solution.
Digits vs words: which one should you choose
Both are correct. Your choice depends on the document’s job.
- Digits work best in reports, labels, dashboards, budgets, and tables.
- Words work best in legal wording, checks, ceremonial text, and places where you want extra clarity against tampering.
When a document wants extra clarity, it can show both forms: digits plus the spelled-out form in parentheses. If you do that, keep them aligned: 130 000 matches ciento treinta mil.
Don’t mix digits and words mid-number in formal writing
You’ll see “130 mil” in casual notes. In formal text, it’s cleaner to write the numeral fully in digits or fully in words. The RAE guidance on mixing digits and words indicates that long numerals are best written entirely in digits or entirely in words, instead of swapping “000” for mil.
Real-world patterns you can copy
Once you’ve got the base form, the next step is plugging it into sentences that look like real Spanish. These patterns cover the use cases people actually write.
People, items, and totals
As an adjective before the noun:
- ciento treinta mil personas
- ciento treinta mil visitas
- ciento treinta mil unidades
In digit form for reports and dashboards:
- 130 000 personas
- 130 000 visitas
- 130 000 unidades
Money amounts
Currency formatting varies by country and house style. The number rules stay the same. Common patterns include:
- 130 000 € / 130 000 euros
- 130 000 USD / 130 000 dólares
- ciento treinta mil euros (spelled out, often used on checks)
If the doc includes cents, keep the digits and words consistent, and keep the decimal separator consistent with the locale you’re writing for. In many Spanish contexts, a comma is used for decimals, so watch out when copying formats from English templates.
Counts tied to time
When the noun is a time unit, the phrase reads like a span:
- ciento treinta mil años
- 130 000 días
If you meant a quantity of items instead, switch the noun to match the meaning: 130 000 registros, 130 000 solicitudes, 130 000 entradas. That one word change can prevent a surprising misread.
Where formatting tends to break
Most mistakes aren’t about Spanish vocabulary. They happen when tools apply rules you didn’t choose. Knowing the usual failure points saves edits later.
Commas and periods in the wrong role
In English, “130,000” marks thousands with a comma. In Spanish writing, the comma is widely used as the decimal separator, so “130,000” can look like “130 point zero.” The RAE discourages comma and period as thousand separators and points to spacing instead.
Thin space vs normal space
Professional typesetting uses a thin space between groups of three digits. Word processors usually show a normal space when you type it. That’s fine for day-to-day writing. If you publish books, magazines, or PDFs with strict typography, a designer can apply nonbreaking thin spaces so the number never splits across a line break.
When a system rejects spaces
Some bank portals, spreadsheets, and web forms reject spaces inside numbers or strip them on save. In that case, write 130000 and keep the surrounding formatting clean. If you also include the words, keep them as ciento treinta mil so the reader still gets an instant cross-check.
If you write Spanish for publication, FundéuRAE gives a practical summary of the spacing convention for thousands and millions. See FundéuRAE’s notes on writing thousands and millions for a concise overview that matches academic and international guidance.
Common formatting choices across contexts
Different documents have different constraints. A web form may strip spaces. A PDF may keep them. A newsroom may prefer digits for scan speed. Use the table below as a quick pick when you’re not sure which form to use.
| Where you’re writing | Recommended form | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| News article or press release | 130 000 | Fast scanning, matches spacing convention for thousands. |
| Academic paper | 130 000 (or ciento treinta mil if the style guide asks) | Digits keep the flow clean in data-heavy sections. |
| Financial statement | 130 000 € | Digits reduce misreads; spacing improves legibility. |
| Check or legal line item | ciento treinta mil euros (130 000 €) | Words reduce alteration risk; digits confirm the value. |
| Analytics dashboard | 130000 | Many systems strip thin spaces; plain digits avoid glitches. |
| UI labels and buttons | 130 000 | Spacing improves readability on small screens. |
| Email subject line | 130 000 | Keeps meaning clear without adding extra words. |
| Spanish-only paragraph text | ciento treinta mil | Words read smoothly inside sentences. |
Fast fixes for common mistakes
These slips show up often when people write this number in Spanish. Fixing them makes your text look clean and consistent.
| Mistake | Why it confuses readers | Better |
|---|---|---|
| 130,000 | Comma often signals decimals in Spanish writing. | 130 000 |
| 130.000 | Period can clash with decimal habits and with the spacing rule. | 130 000 |
| cien treinta mil | cien is for 100 alone or right before a noun, not before another numeral. | ciento treinta mil |
| ciento treinta miles | mil stays singular as a numeral. | ciento treinta mil |
| 130 mil (formal report) | Mixed digits and words read casual and can be edited inconsistently. | 130 000 / ciento treinta mil |
| 130 000 de euros | de changes the structure; it’s not used here in the numeral phrase. | 130 000 euros |
| ciento treinta mil de euros | Same issue: the phrase doesn’t take de in this use. | ciento treinta mil euros |
Mini checklist you can reuse
Run this quick pass before you publish, send, or submit the document:
- Pick digits or words: use 130 000 for data-heavy text; use ciento treinta mil when words fit the tone or the doc needs extra clarity.
- Group thousands with a space: prefer 130 000 when your platform allows it.
- Skip comma and period for thousands: they can be misread in Spanish contexts.
- Use “ciento” before another numeral:ciento treinta mil, not cien treinta mil.
- Keep “mil” singular:mil, not miles, inside the numeral.
Follow those five checks and your writing will look consistent in Spanish across most formats, from web copy to PDF exports.
References & Sources
- Real Academia Española (RAE).“números (Diccionario panhispánico de dudas).”Sets the convention for grouping digits with spaces and warns against comma/period thousand separators.
- Real Academia Española (RAE).“Los números enteros y el separador de millares.”Explains the recommended thousands separator and the typographic idea of a thin space.
- Real Academia Española (RAE).“Uso combinado de cifras y palabras.”Recommends keeping long numerals fully in digits or fully in words instead of mixing forms like “130 mil” in formal text.
- FundéuRAE.“Miles y millones, claves de escritura.”Provides a practical summary of spacing rules for thousands and millions used by editors and institutions.