Names for number 0
Hi guys! How are you doing? I hope you can help me with this!
When do you use the different names for the number 0 (zero, o, nil, nought, ...)? Which are the most common? I've read the article on the Wikipedia about "the names for the number 0" and some others, but I have some doubts: I know that "ZERO" is used for temperatures, "O" for spelling in hotels and telephones and "NIL" in sports (specially football), but... what about maths (decimals, percentages, etc.), number of things (I have zero/nought pens?), etc.
Some helping hand? :)
PD: Sorry for this question, I know that it isn't an easy one.
Search from various English teachers...
Answers · 8
2
I use 'O' for numbers such as phone numbers.
'My mobile is 0127.. = Oh, one, two , seven..'
I also use 'O' for dates.
My grandmother was born in 1907 = Nineteen oh seven.
Also room numbers in general.
Our meeting is in room 501 = Five oh one.
In football '0' is nil, but in tennis it's 'love'.
In Britain we tend to use 'nought' for maths
3.052 = Three point nought five two
0.4% = Nought point four percent
But for things, we use normal words i.e. 'I have no pens' or 'I don't have any pens'. These are grammar words, rather than numerical terms.
1
In Us English, we never use "nil" or "nought" to stand for the number zero.
In reading numbers, in math or phone numbers or addresses it is common to use. "oh" to stand in for zero, but the word "zero" is often used when you are talking about the 0 before the decimal point.
A sports score with zero is read a "nothing". They lost three to nothing. Zero isn't used here nor is "oh".
Temperature is always zero.
Usage is quite different in the UK and elsewhere so let's let someone take it from here.
0
Thank you Imk! I wrote it down! ^_^
0
Just to add another, it is pretty common around here to say "zilch" when you want to say "absolutely nothing!" as in "I had a garage sale in front of my house yesterday. I earned zilch! No one bought anything!". Also, créelo o no, a lot of people in the US seem to have picked up the word "nada" as in "I earned nothing, nada!, ZILCH!"
0
Muy buena pregunta, gracias
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