Zero

This page explains the difficulty of saying the number 0 in English language learners.

To round off this series of odds and ends, let's look at the number 0. It's not at all difficult to write, but do you know how to say it? If you think you do, then try the following quiz!

Quiz

  • How do you say 0 when counting .. 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 ... ?
  • How do you say 0 in the following numbers .. 0.32, 0.015 ... ?
  • How do you say 0 in a telephone number: 06082 4470 ?
  • How do you say 0 in a soccer score .. 2-0, 1-0 ... ?
  • How do you say 0 in a tennis score .. 15-0, 30-0 ... ?
  • How do you say 0 in the following question: How many 0s are there in the number 1 million?
  • How do you say 0 in the following statement: Water freezes at 0°C?
  • How do you say 0 in the following statement: My plane arrives in London at 3.05?

In the number 0, as in many other aspects of the English language, Americans and Britons do things differently, although the Americans are much more consistent!

Answers marked with an (A) are what most Americans would say, those marked with a (B) are what most Britons would say. Answers not marked are said the same by both.

  • Counting .. 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 ... : zero (A), nought (B)
  • Decimal numbers .. 0.32, 0.015 ... : zero (A), nought (B)
  • Telephone numbers: 06082 4470 : zero (A), O as in the letter O (B)
  • Soccer scores .. 2-0, 1-0 ... : zero or nothing (A), nil (B)
  • Tennis scores .. 15-0, 30-0 ... : love (apparently, love comes from the French word l'oeuf, which means egg.)
  • How many 0s are there in the number 1 million. : zeros (A), noughts (B)
  • Water freezes at 0°C. : zero
  • My plane arrives in London at 3.05. : O as in the letter O