Ordinal Numbers 11 to 30 in French

From eleventh to thirtieth, the -ieme suffix does all the work. The only structural break is at 21st (vingt et unieme): premier appears only for the absolute first, never inside compounds.

Updated May 2026

NFrenchNoteAudio
11onziemeNo silent e in onze, suffix attaches: onz + ieme.
12douziemedouz + ieme.
13treiziemetreiz + ieme.
14quatorziemequatorz + ieme.
15quinziemequinz + ieme.
16seiziemeseiz + ieme.
17dix-septiemeCompound: hyphenated, second word takes the suffix.
18dix-huitiemeSame; h of huit stays silent.
19dix-neuviemef of neuf shifts to v.
20vingtiemeNo silent e on vingt; t voiced into suffix.
21vingt et uniemeNote unieme, not premier, for the compound 21st.
22vingt-deuxiemeHyphen joins; deux gets the suffix.
23vingt-troisieme
24vingt-quatrieme
25vingt-cinquiemeSame u-insertion as cinquieme.
26vingt-sixieme
27vingt-septieme
28vingt-huitieme
29vingt-neuviemeSame f-to-v shift.
30trentiemetrent + ieme.

Related

Frequently asked

How do you say 21st in French?

Vingt et unieme (for both genders). Note unieme, not premier, because the 21st is a compound ordinal. Premier is only used for the absolute first (1er). For 21, 31, 41 ... 91 the suffix -unieme attaches to the compound: vingt et unieme, trente et unieme, quarante et unieme.

How do you abbreviate 11th, 12th, 13th in French?

11e, 12e, 13e. No -th, -nd, -st suffix variation as in English. The Academie francaise standardises -e for all ordinals from second onwards. Older spellings like 11eme or 11ieme are no longer recommended.

How do you say vingtieme out loud?

Vingtieme = /vɛ̃.tjɛm/. The t of vingt voices into the -ieme suffix and the nasal vowel is preserved.

Is it dix-septieme or dix-et-septieme?

Dix-septieme. The 17 to 19 compounds are hyphenated and do not take the et connector. Same in 27, 37, 47 (no et): vingt-septieme, trente-septieme.

Sources: Larousse, Academie francaise, Imprimerie nationale.

Updated 2026-05-11