Counting in Spanish 1 to 100 | Patterns That Stick

Spanish numbers from 1 to 100 fall into a few repeatable patterns, so once you learn the building blocks, the rest clicks.

If you’ve ever stalled at dieciséis or mixed up setenta and sesenta, you’re not alone. Spanish number words feel random at first, then they start repeating in a way your brain can latch onto. This article walks you from 1 to 100 with the patterns, spelling tips, and practice drills that make the words stay put.

You won’t need flashcard marathons. You’ll learn the “lego pieces” and how they snap together, then you’ll practice them in short bursts. By the end, you should be able to say prices, ages, dates, and scores out loud without pausing to translate.

How Spanish Numbers Are Built

Spanish uses a small set of core number words, then reuses them in combinations. You’ll see three main construction styles between 1 and 100:

• Single words for many low numbers and some round tens.
• Fused compounds for many numbers from 16–29 (written as one word in modern spelling).
• “tens + y + ones” for 31–99 (with y meaning “and”).

Pronunciation matters more than perfection. If you can say the rhythm cleanly, people understand you even if your accent marks on paper aren’t flawless yet. Still, learning the spelling rules early saves you from re-learning later.

Sound Notes That Help Right Away

These quick sound cues handle most number trouble spots:

• c before e/i is “th” in much of Spain and “s” in much of Latin America. So cien may sound like “thyenn” or “syenn,” depending on region.
• v and b often sound close. Don’t stress over veinte at first; pay attention to the vowels: “BAYN-teh.”
• ll varies a lot by region. It can sound like “y,” “j,” or a soft “sh.” This affects ll in words you’ll meet elsewhere, not in the 1–100 list itself.
• Spanish vowels stay steady. seis keeps a clear “eh” sound, and dos keeps a clean “oh.”

Counting In Spanish 1 To 100 With Easy Patterns

Start with 1–15. These are the ones you memorize as whole words. They show up inside bigger numbers later, so this time pays off.

Numbers 1 To 15

1–15 are: uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez, once, doce, trece, catorce, quince.

Two quick notes. Uno can shorten to un before a masculine noun (un libro), and to una before a feminine noun (una mesa). When you’re just counting, you can stick with uno.

Numbers 16 To 19

16–19 use a fused form that comes from “ten and…”:

• 16: dieciséis
• 17: diecisiete
• 18: dieciocho
• 19: diecinueve

Notice the shared start: dieci-. One spelling detail: dieciséis carries an accent mark because Spanish stress rules apply to these compounds too, as noted in the Diccionario panhispánico de dudas entry on accent marks.

Numbers 20 To 29

20 is veinte. From 21–29, Spanish often fuses the form as one word starting with veinti-:

• 21: veintiuno (also veintiún before some masculine nouns)
• 22: veintidós
• 23: veintitrés
• 24: veinticuatro
• 25: veinticinco
• 26: veintiséis
• 27: veintisiete
• 28: veintiocho
• 29: veintinueve

You’ll see accent marks on veintidós, veintitrés, and veintiséis. That’s not decoration; it marks the stressed vowel so the word keeps its natural stress when fused.

One usage trap: when you’re talking about percentages, Spanish keeps uno in full. The RAE note on “veintiuno por ciento” explains why forms like veintiún por ciento are not the preferred choice.

Patterns For 30 To 99

Round tens from 30 to 90 are single words. Once you know them, you can build the rest with a simple structure: tens + y + ones.

Tens You Memorize Once

Here are the round tens:

• 30: treinta
• 40: cuarenta
• 50: cincuenta
• 60: sesenta
• 70: setenta
• 80: ochenta
• 90: noventa

Then you connect them with y for 31–99: treinta y uno, cuarenta y dos, noventa y ocho. The RAE guidance on cardinal numbers lists standard forms and shows how uno shifts by gender when it sits before a noun.

A small spelling point: starting at 30, the standard writing keeps the parts separated (treinta y uno). Spanish also recognizes fused spellings in some cases, yet in regular writing, the spaced form is the one you’ll meet most often. If you want the official overview, see the RAE page on spelling of cardinal numerals.

Say the tens first, then drop in the ones. Keep the stress steady: SE-sen-ta y DOS, o-CHEN-ta y SIe-te. If you find yourself racing, slow down and let y act like a small pause.

Common Mix-Ups And How To Fix Them

Most mistakes come from a few sound clusters. Here’s how to dodge them:

Sesenta Vs Setenta

Sesenta (60) has an s sound twice. Setenta (70) has a crisp t in the middle. A quick drill: say “sesenta, setenta” five times, then say “sesenta y siete” and “setenta y siete.” Your mouth learns the difference fast.

Quince Vs Cincuenta

Quince (15) starts with a “keen” sound. Cincuenta (50) starts with “seen-kwen.” Practice by pairing them with a noun: quince minutos, cincuenta minutos. Keep the vowel clean, and the words won’t blur.

Cuatro Vs Catorce

Cuatro (4) and catorce (14) share letters, not structure. Treat catorce as its own item, then link it to the teen group: trece, catorce, quince.

Table Of Patterns And Spelling Checks

This table condenses the rules you’ll reuse the most. Keep it open while you practice out loud.

Range	Pattern	Notes
1–15	Single words	Memorize as whole items; they recycle inside larger numbers.
16–19	dieci + (6–9)	Fused spelling; accent mark on dieciséis.
20	veinte	Base for the 20s; keep the “BAYN” vowel sound steady.
21–29	veinti + (1–9)	Fused spelling; accents on 22, 23, 26.
30, 40, 50…90	Single word tens	Memorize once; they drive the whole 31–99 set.
31–99	tens + y + ones	Write as separate words; say tens first, then ones.
Uno Before Nouns	un / una	Shifts to match the noun; keep uno when counting alone.
Percentages	uno, veintiuno…	Keep uno in full with por ciento.

Practice That Makes 1 To 100 Feel Automatic

Here’s a practice routine that fits into short gaps in your day. It’s built around recall, not re-reading.

Step 1: Build The Spine (1–10, Then Tens)

Say 1–10 out loud twice. Then say the tens: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100. Don’t rush. Clean vowels beat speed.

Step 2: Lock In 11–29 As Chunks

Read 11–15 once, then 16–19 as a group, then 20–29 as a group. After that, quiz yourself by jumping: 12, 17, 19, 21, 26, 29. If you miss one, say it right three times and move on.

Step 3: Use “Tens + y + Ones” Like A Template

Pick one ten, then run the ones: treinta y uno through treinta y nueve. Next, do the same with cuarenta. When you hit a snag, it’s almost always the ones, not the tens.

If you like guided listening practice, the Centro Virtual Cervantes AVE activity “Los números del 1 al 100” is a solid classroom-style drill you can pair with your own speaking.

Table Of Quick Drills And Real-Life Uses

Use these mini-drills when you’ve got two minutes. You’ll start hearing numbers as Spanish words, not math you translate.

Drill	What You Say	Where It Helps
Odd Numbers Run	1, 3, 5…19; then 21, 23…29	Stops you from relying on memorized sequences only.
Reverse Tens	100, 90, 80…20, 10	Makes round tens pop out fast in conversation.
Price Tags	23, 35, 48, 59, 67, 72, 86, 99	Reading menus, receipts, and store signs.
Age Pairs	21/31, 22/32…29/39	Stops mix-ups between 20s and 30s.
Time Calls	16, 26, 36, 46, 56	Building comfort with the 6 sound across ranges.
Scoreboard	0–7; then 10–17; then 20–27	Sports scores, games, and quick counting.
Dictation	Listen, then write 10 random numbers you hear	Connects sound to spelling, accents included.

Spelling And Gender Notes You’ll Actually Use

Most of the time you can count without thinking about gender. It shows up when the number sits right before a noun. Uno shifts to un (masculine) or una (feminine): un boleto, una entrada. With 21, 31, 41 and so on, the ending can shift too: treinta y un libros, treinta y una casas. The standard patterns are laid out in the RAE’s cardinales entry linked earlier.

One more note that trips people: 100 is cien when it stands alone, and ciento when it comes before more numbers: ciento uno, ciento veinte. That’s outside the 1–100 list for most uses, yet it matters the first time you say 101.

One Clean Way To Test Yourself

Try this in under five minutes:

1. Say 1–20 without looking.
2. Say the tens: 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100.
3. Pick a ten at random and say seven numbers with it, like 42, 47, 49, 41, 45, 46, 43.
4. Write down five numbers you said and check your spelling for accents on 16, 22, 23, 26.

If you can do that smoothly, you’ve got the core. After that, numbers turn into routine vocabulary. You’ll hear cuarenta y cinco and your brain won’t translate it into 45 first. It’ll just land.