To count to 1000 you need 1 to 100 plus three rules: cent pluralises to cents only when it ends the number, mille is invariable, and the vigesimal range 70 to 99 carries through into the hundreds. The tables below give a per-hundred jump and a sample of edge cases.
Updated May 2026
Round hundreds: 100 to 1000
N
French
Audio
100
cent
200
deux cents
300
trois cents
400
quatre cents
500
cinq cents
600
six cents
700
sept cents
800
huit cents
900
neuf cents
1000
mille
Sample edge cases
N
French
Audio
1
un
11
onze
21
vingt-et-un
50
cinquante
70
soixante-dix
80
quatre-vingts
91
quatre-vingt-onze
99
quatre-vingt-dix-neuf
100
cent
101
cent un
121
cent vingt-et-un
200
deux cents
201
deux cent un
300
trois cents
555
cinq cent cinquante-cinq
777
sept cent soixante-dix-sept
999
neuf cent quatre-vingt-dix-neuf
1000
mille
The cents rule in three lines
200, 300 ... 900 with nothing after them: cents with s.
201, 350, 999: cent without s, because units follow.
Cent before mille still loses the s: deux cent mille (200000), not deux cents mille.
You learn three things: the base words 1 to 20, the regular tens pattern 20 to 60 with et-un on the unit 1, the vigesimal range 70 to 99 (soixante-dix through quatre-vingt-dix-neuf), and then the hundreds 100 to 900 plus mille. The jump table on this page covers every round hundred from 100 to 1000.
How do you say 100 in French?
Cent. No article (you do not say "un cent"). It pluralises to cents only when it ends a number with no further units: deux cents (200), trois cents (300). When units follow, the s drops: deux cent un (201), trois cent cinquante (350). The Academie francaise rule is unchanged since the 19th century.
How do you say 1000 in French?
Mille. Like cent it takes no article. Unlike cent it never pluralises: deux mille (2000), dix mille (10000), cent mille (100000). The form mil appears only in archaic date writing (l'an mil neuf cent quatre-vingt-neuf) and is now considered optional.
How do you write the number 500 in French?
Cinq cents, with the plural s on cents because no unit follows. The number 501 is cinq cent un, without s. 550 is cinq cent cinquante, also without s. The plural rule is strict: s only if the hundred ends the number.
What is 999 in French?
Neuf cent quatre-vingt-dix-neuf. Breaks down as neuf (9) + cent (100) + quatre-vingt-dix-neuf (99). No s on cent because the vigesimal compound follows.