Ordinal Converter
Convert cardinal numbers to ordinal numbers with proper suffixes (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th...). Support for multiple languages and bulk conversion operations.
Ordinal Converter
1-10
11-20
21-30
Special
Single Number Converter
42nd
Bulk Number Input
Conversion Statistics
15
Total Numbers
15
Valid Conversions
0
Errors
100%
Success Rate
Accurate ordinal number conversion!
Convert numbers to ordinals with proper suffixes and word forms in multiple languages
Understanding Ordinal Numbers
Ordinal numbers indicate position, order, or ranking in a sequence. They answer the question "which one?" or "in what order?" Unlike cardinal numbers that represent quantity, ordinal numbers represent position.
Cardinal vs Ordinal
Cardinal: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (quantity)
Ordinal: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th (position)
Example:
"There are five people in line" (cardinal)
"She is the fifth person in line" (ordinal)
Common Use Cases
- Ranking and competition results
- Date and calendar formatting
- Step-by-step instructions
- Historical timelines and periods
- Academic and educational content
- Legal and formal documents
- Statistical reports and analysis
- User interface and navigation
English Ordinal Number Rules
Basic Suffix Rules
Standard Rules
-st: 1st, 21st, 31st, 41st... (ends in 1)
-nd: 2nd, 22nd, 32nd, 42nd... (ends in 2)
-rd: 3rd, 23rd, 33rd, 43rd... (ends in 3)
-th: 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th...
Special Exceptions
11th, 12th, 13th: Always use -th
Teen numbers: 11th-19th all use -th
Compound teens: 111th, 112th, 113th use -th
Pattern: If tens digit is 1, use -th
Pattern Examples
1-20
1st, 2nd, 3rd
4th, 5th, 6th
7th, 8th, 9th
10th, 11th, 12th
13th, 14th, 15th
16th, 17th, 18th
19th, 20th
21-30
21st, 22nd, 23rd
24th, 25th, 26th
27th, 28th, 29th
30th
100s
100th, 101st, 102nd
103rd, 104th, 105th
110th, 111th, 112th
113th, 120th, 121st
Large Numbers
1,000th
1,001st
1,021st
1,111th
1,000,000th
International Ordinal Systems
Romance Languages
Spanish
1º, 2º, 3º (masculine)
1ª, 2ª, 3ª (feminine)
primero, segundo, tercero
Example: 1º lugar, 1ª vez
French
1er, 2e, 3e
1re, 2e, 3e (feminine)
premier, deuxième, troisième
Example: 1er janvier, 2e étage
Italian
1º, 2º, 3º
primo, secondo, terzo
Example: 1º piano, 2º posto
Germanic Languages
German
1., 2., 3. (with period)
erste, zweite, dritte
Example: 1. Januar, 2. Stock
Dutch
1e, 2e, 3e
eerste, tweede, derde
Example: 1e plaats, 2e verdieping
Swedish
1:a, 2:a, 3:e
första, andra, tredje
Example: 1:a klass, 2:a våningen
Other Writing Systems
Japanese
第1, 第2, 第3 (だい + number)
1番目, 2番目, 3番目 (ばんめ)
一番目, 二番目, 三番目 (kanji)
Chinese
第一, 第二, 第三 (dì + number)
第1, 第2, 第3 (mixed format)
头一, 头二, 头三 (informal)
Programming and Technical Implementation
Algorithm Logic
English Ordinal Function
function getOrdinal(n) {
if (n % 100 >= 11 && n % 100 <= 13) {
return n + "th";
}
switch (n % 10) {
case 1: return n + "st";
case 2: return n + "nd";
case 3: return n + "rd";
default: return n + "th";
}
}
Edge Cases
- • Negative numbers: -1st, -2nd, -3rd
- • Zero: 0th (though rarely used)
- • Decimal numbers: 1.5th (context-dependent)
- • Very large numbers: 1,000,000th
- • Text numbers: "first", "second", "third"
- • Roman numerals: Ist, IInd, IIIrd
Performance Considerations
Optimization
- Cache common ordinals (1st-100th)
- Use lookup tables for patterns
- Batch processing for large datasets
- Memoization for repeated calls
Internationalization
- Locale-specific formatting rules
- Gender-aware ordinals
- Cultural number preferences
- RTL language support
Validation
- Input range verification
- Number format validation
- Error handling for edge cases
- Type checking and conversion
Professional Applications
📊
Reports & Analytics
Ranking tables, performance metrics, survey results, and statistical analysis
📅
Date & Time
Calendar applications, event scheduling, historical dates, and time periods
📝
Documentation
Step-by-step guides, numbered lists, legal documents, and academic papers
🏆
Competition & Sports
Race results, tournament rankings, leaderboards, and award ceremonies
🎓
Education
Grade levels, course sequences, academic rankings, and educational materials
💻
Software Development
Version numbering, API endpoints, user interface elements, and data presentation
Best Practices and Guidelines
✅ Correct Usage
- Follow standard suffix rules consistently
- Use appropriate formatting for your audience
- Consider cultural and linguistic preferences
- Maintain consistency within documents
- Use ordinals for position, cardinals for quantity
- Spell out ordinals in formal writing when appropriate
- Consider accessibility and screen reader compatibility
- Test with internationalization requirements
❌ Common Mistakes
- Using wrong suffixes (1th, 2th, 3th instead of 1st, 2nd, 3rd)
- Forgetting teen number exceptions (11st instead of 11th)
- Inconsistent formatting within the same document
- Using ordinals for quantities ("I have 3rd apples")
- Ignoring locale-specific formatting rules
- Not considering gender agreement in gendered languages
- Mixing number formats (1st, second, 3rd)
- Poor handling of negative or decimal numbers
Advanced Features and Extensions
Word Form Conversion
Numeric to Word
1st → first
2nd → second
3rd → third
21st → twenty-first
100th → one hundredth
Capitalization Options
first → First (sentence case)
first → FIRST (uppercase)
twenty-first → Twenty-First (title case)
one hundredth → One Hundredth
Specialized Formats
Roman Numerals
I → Ist
II → IInd
III → IIIrd
IV → IVth
Fractions
1.5 → 1½th
2.25 → 2¼th
3.33 → 3⅓rd
Scientific
1e3 → 1000th
2.5e2 → 250th
1.23e6 → 1,230,000th