Do you have doubts when writing some numbers in Spanish? Do not worry, it is a very common confusion among Spanish speakers since there are some digits that are written somewhat differently. In this oneHOWTO article we will solve your doubts and discover you how do you spell seventeen or seventeen. The number 17 is one of those that presents the most doubts and, therefore, here we will tell you why SEVENTEEN is the only valid way to write this number in letters. Take note!
17 is a number that causes real headaches for people who want to write it with letters. And it is that many speakers of Castilian wonder how you spell seventeen or seventeen. The cause of this doubt is that the number is formed by the combination of two words:
The conjunction “and” is responsible for joining both terms to create the word. But, then, do you write seventeen or seventeen?
If we go to the DRAE we will see that the only accepted form is the first one, that is, SEVENTEEN. In this word we see that the two previously independent terms have been joined by an “i” to create this new word that designates the number 17.
But, in addition to this, in SEVENTEEN we find another important change that is worth highlighting: the “z” in “ten” becomes a “c”. Why is this happening? Easy: because when a “z” sound is accompanied by / e / or / i /, it must be written with “c” instead of “z”. Other examples of this rule are found in the word “fishbowl” which, although it comes from “fish”, the “z” is assimilated and changed to “c” because the vowel that accompanies it is an / e /.
Therefore: the only possible way to write 17 is SEVENTEEN. A term that has the following quirks:
- It is the union of two words (ten + seven)
- The conjunction “y” becomes “i” when integrated into the interior of the word
- The final “z” of “ten” becomes “c” when accompanying a vowel “i”
Example sentences with SEVENTEEN
Now that you know how to spell seventeen or seventeen, here are some example sentences that will help you see their use in the context of the Spanish language:
- My grandmother lives at number seventeen Calle Mayor
- When you turn seventeen you can enroll in driving school
- There are only seventeen people on the list, I don’t think we’re going on a hike!
- On the seventeenth of February I’m going to Euro Disney
After all the above, we have to emphasize that *TEN AND SEVEN written separately and with the “y” of connector It is NOT a correct way in Spanish. Using this formula will be considered a misspelling and you could be penalized on a test or assignment.
Therefore, you should never write this number separately: you should always do it following the guidelines that we have indicated in the previous section. They are only written separately when you want to mention the specific number: that is, ten or seven individually.
Examples:
- I have seven brothers
- On the tenth I will come to Madrid
As a final summary, from unCOMO we want to remind you so that you know how to write the numbers correctly in Spanish. Here is a compilation of interesting notes that will help you refresh your memory:
- From 0 to 15 the numbers must be written as simple words (zero, one, two, ten, eleven, fifteen …)
- Between 16 and 19 and between the 21 and 29 lNumbers are written by creating a union between the two terms. This is where we find seventeen, but also eighteen, nineteen, twenty-two, twenty-four, and so on.
- From 31 the numbers are written by coordination with the “and” as a nexus. This is the case for thirty-one, forty-two, fifty-four, and so on.