Reading numbers (Boeing 747)

Question

Boeing 747Airbus A318Nokia 9100What is the best way to pronounce these (and like) numbers? So, is itBoeing seven-four-seven / seven fourty-seven / seven hundred and forty-seven?Airbus A three-one-eight / three-eighteen / three hundred and eighteen?Nokia nine-one-zero-zero / nine one hundred / nine thousand one hundred ? ... [I could go on  ]Is there any rule of thumb for reading numbers in such cases?

Englishmaven · Accepted Answer

Boeing seven-four-seven / seven fourty-seven / seven hundred and forty-seven?
Airbus A three-one-eight / three-eighteen / three hundred and eighteen?
Nokia nine-one-zero-zero / nine one hundred / nine thousand one hundred ? ... [I could go on

]

Is there any rule of thumb for reading numbers in such cases?

Boeing seven forty-seven
Airbus three eighteen
Nokia ninety-one hundred

Boeing calls that plane a seven forty-seven, so we do, too. All planes are like that. You say the first number and combine the next two. 345 = Three forty-five
It is the same for the Airbus example.
When numbers are in the thousands and end in 2 zeroes, we say how many hundreds it is. 3500 is thrity-five hundred.

Vchekh · Answer

Thank you, Englishmaven.

What about those four-digit numbers that don't end in two zeros? e.g.:

Nokia 1208
Nokia 2323

Should we read them the way we read years? (twelve-oh-eight, twenty-three twenty-three)

Oh, and by the way, about years... We pronounce 2000 as "two thousand", right? 2005 - two thousand and five, 2010 - two thousand and ten... Is the good ol' rule "first read the number of hundreds and then the rest" applicable to the 21st century? I mean is it OK to say "twenty-ten" (2010), "twenty-fifteen" (2015)? If yes, what's the earliest year that can be read this way, i.e. where's the borderline between "two thousand and ..." and "twenty-..."?

Oh, and the last thing (I promise

): Can we omit the conjunction "and" in years like 2005, i.e. can we say "two thousand five"? I think I remember someone say it this way on TV. Or did I just mishear it?

Reading numbers (Boeing 747)

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