Methodology
Sources, Scope, Refresh, Corrections
Sources reviewed May 2026
NumbersInFrench.com cites French numerical morphology to a fixed primary-source list. Standard French forms anchor to the Academie francaise, CNRTL, Le Robert, and Larousse. Quebec attestations anchor to the OQLF Banque de depannage linguistique and USITO. Belgian and Swiss-cantonal variants anchor to the Federation Wallonie-Bruxelles and the Universite de Lausanne CLSL. The 1990 rectifications orthographiques anchor the traits-d\'union rule. IPA pronunciation cross-references the Wiktionnaire francophone and the existing engine. This page is the editorial-process record.
Primary sources
| Source | Role | Refresh |
|---|---|---|
| Academie francaise | Standard orthographic rulings on French numerical forms, the vigesimal soixante-dix / quatre-vingts / quatre-vingt-dix, traits-d'union in compound numerals, and the 1990 rectifications orthographiques. | Annual; out-of-cycle on Academie ruling |
| CNRTL (Centre National de Ressources Textuelles et Lexicales) | Lexicographic anchor for cardinal and ordinal forms, etymology, and attested usage. Backed by CNRS and the Universite de Lorraine ATILF laboratory. | Quarterly cross-check |
| Le Robert (Dico en ligne) | Cross-reference for noun gender, plural, and current-usage notes on number-class lexemes (cent, mille, million, milliard). | On new edition (typically annual) |
| Larousse (Dictionnaire francais) | Cross-reference for current-usage notes and pedagogical conventions on the et-un rule and plural-s on cent and vingt. | On new edition |
| OQLF Banque de depannage linguistique | Office quebecois de la langue francaise reference for Quebec French norms, including soixante-dix / quatre-vingts / quatre-vingt-dix as Quebec standard and historical attestation of septante / nonante in older rural Quebec. | OQLF terminologic-update trigger |
| USITO (Universite de Sherbrooke) | Quebec-French dictionary covering North American attestations and Quebec usage cross-reference. Edited by Helene Cajolet-Laganiere and Pierre Martel. | On new release |
| Wiktionnaire francophone | Secondary cross-reference for IPA pronunciation and morphology. Used to triangulate IPA against the existing engine output and as a public-facing pronunciation source. | Quarterly cross-check |
| Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) | A1 to C2 framework. Number competence sits at A1 for cardinals 0-100 and dates, A2 for hundreds-to-millions and prices, B1 for ordinals beyond 20 and phone-number reading conventions. | On CEFR scale revision |
| France Education International (DELF / DALF) | Certification framework for accredited language tuition routing. Site does not certify CEFR level; readers seeking DELF / DALF route through France Education International. | On DELF / DALF reform announcement |
| Journal officiel: 1990 rectifications orthographiques | Conseil superieur de la langue francaise rectifications, Journal officiel of 6 December 1990. Anchors the traits-d'union rule for compound numerals (option, not obligation, per Academie ruling). | Static historical anchor |
| Conseil international de la langue francaise | Cross-reference for francophone-wide standards and regional attestations across France, Belgium, Switzerland, Quebec, and West African francophone nations. | On publication |
| Federation Wallonie-Bruxelles | Belgian Francophone Community reference for septante / nonante as Belgian standard and the quatre-vingts retention at 80. | On Communaute francaise publication |
| Vaud / Valais / Fribourg cantonal usage | Swiss-cantonal attestation of huitante (80) in Vaud, Valais, and Fribourg. Cross-referenced via Universite de Lausanne CLSL (Centre de Linguistique et des Sciences du Langage) and Universite de Geneva publications. | On academic publication |
In scope
- Number-class morphology: cardinals 0-9, 11-20, 21-69 with the et-un rule, 70-99 vigesimal, hundreds-to-milliards with cent and mille plural behaviour.
- Date formatting: day-month-year, lowercase month names, premier-only ordinal rule for the 1st of the month, year-in-words for 1100 to 2030.
- Time, age, phone-number, and price formatting in standard French (heures et demie, j'ai N ans, pair-reading of phone numbers, decimal virgule).
- Cardinal vs ordinal distinction: premier / premiere, the -ieme suffix, second vs deuxieme, abbreviation conventions (1er, 2e, 3e).
- CEFR A1-A2 number competence and where ordinals, dates, and prices sit on the CEFR scale.
- Belgian (septante, nonante), Swiss-cantonal (huitante in Vaud / Valais / Fribourg; quatre-vingts elsewhere), and Quebec (France-aligned) attested variants.
- Pronunciation: IPA notation, liaison rules (cinq amis, six oeufs, dix-z-huit), nasal vowels in un / vingt / cent, and the neuf-to-neuv change before heures and ans.
Out of scope
- Translation services and live human translation. The converter is for French numerical morphology only.
- Full French grammar instruction. The site references morphological rules for number-class lexemes; it is not a comprehensive grammar resource.
- Idiomatic numerical expressions (e.g. "voir trente-six chandelles", "etre sur son trente et un"). These are flagged where relevant but not exhaustively catalogued.
- Regional slang and dialectal numerals beyond the attested Belgian / Swiss / Quebec standard variants.
- Individual learner placement testing or DELF / DALF certification routing. Route through France Education International (france-education-international.fr) for accredited testing.
- Content beyond numerical morphology (vocabulary, conjugation, syntax, discourse markers). Sister sites cover related single-topic references.
Verification framework
Vigesimal attestation chain
soixante-dix, quatre-vingts, quatre-vingt-dix attested as standard French via Academie francaise Dictionnaire and CNRTL TLFi entries. Le Robert and Larousse confirm current-usage standard. OQLF confirms Quebec alignment.
Et-un rule attestation
The et-un connector for 21, 31, 41, 51, 61 (and et-onze for 71) attested via the CNRTL morphology entries and the Academie francaise published rulings. Confirmed against Le Robert usage notes. No et on quatre-vingt-un (81) and quatre-vingt-onze (91) per the same source chain.
1990 rectifications handling
The traits-d'union rule applied to all compound numerals (e.g. "deux-cent-trente-quatre") is presented as the 1990-recommended option; the historical form ("deux cent trente-quatre") is presented as also-correct standard. Both attested by Academie francaise current position.
Plural-s rules on cent and vingt
cent pluralises only when ending the number and quantity > 1 (deux cents but deux cent vingt). vingt pluralises in quatre-vingts alone but not in quatre-vingt-un. Attested via Academie francaise orthographic rulings, CNRTL, and Le Robert.
Belgian / Swiss / Quebec sourcing
Belgian septante and nonante attested via Federation Wallonie-Bruxelles publications and CNRTL regional notes. Swiss-cantonal huitante (Vaud / Valais / Fribourg) attested via Universite de Lausanne CLSL and Universite de Geneva publications. Quebec alignment with France forms attested via OQLF Banque de depannage linguistique and USITO.
Refresh cadence
Pages are reviewed on a first-business-week monthly cadence. The single LAST_VERIFIED_DATE constant in src/lib/schema.ts drives every freshness indicator: home hero badge, layout footer stamp, every sub-page Updated line, the WebSite JSON-LD dateModified, and every Article schema dateModified across the site. Rolling one constant forward updates every freshness indicator.
Out-of-cycle review triggers include:
- An Academie francaise ruling that affects numerical morphology or the 1990 rectifications.
- An OQLF terminologic update that changes a documented Quebec attestation.
- A CEFR scale revision affecting where number competence sits on the A1-C2 framework.
- A new edition of Le Robert or Larousse with revised usage notes on number-class lexemes.
- A flagged correction from a reader or a primary-source maintainer.
Limitations
- Regional variation: Belgian septante and Swiss huitante are standard in their respective regions but not in France or Quebec. The site presents the regional attestation; learners should match the form to their target audience.
- Cantonal Swiss variation: huitante is standard in Vaud, Valais, and Fribourg. Other Swiss cantons (Geneva, Neuchatel, Jura) tend toward quatre-vingts as in France. The site uses huitante as the Swiss-French toggle option; cantonal nuance is documented on /regional.
- Quebec North American attestations: Quebec French aligns with France on numerical morphology in modern usage. Older rural Quebec attestations of septante and nonante are documented as historical, not current standard.
- Historical drift in literary texts: 19th-century and earlier French texts attest both vigesimal and base-10 forms. The site references current-standard Academie francaise position; learners reading historical texts should expect to encounter both.
- IPA narrow vs broad transcription: IPA shown is broad (phonemic) transcription suitable for learner reference. Narrow (phonetic) transcription with allophonic detail is out of scope; researchers should refer to CNRTL and academic phonological sources.
Corrections process
Source corrections, attribution requests, and editorial questions go to hello@digitalsignet.com. Five-business-day reply target. Please include:
- The full page URL on numbersinfrench.com.
- The specific form, IPA transcription, or attribution in question.
- A primary-source citation supporting the correction (Academie francaise, CNRTL, Le Robert, Larousse, OQLF, USITO, Federation Wallonie-Bruxelles, or comparable).
This site does not provide language tutoring, translation, or DELF / DALF certification routing. For accredited language tuition, route through France Education International (france-education-international.fr) or the Alliance Francaise network. For CEFR-aligned placement testing, route through your local Alliance Francaise.
See /about for the editorial position and the team behind the site.