1th or 1st, which is right?
Compare it Versus > Grammar > 1th vs 1st? Which is the right way to write it?
Published in November 2022, last updated February 2023
By Mary S., registered secondary English teacher
| How do you write first, 1th or 1st? The correct way to write it is 1st. Read on to find out more about the meaning and spelling of first (1st) in English and why 1th is wrong. |
Contents
Meaning of 1st
In linguistics (the study of human language), 1st or first is an ordinal numeral used to signify the order or position. In this case, position 1 or the first place.
Example of 1st in a sentence:
Paula is in the lead, holding the 1st place in her swimming race.
This means that Paula is in the first position and winning the race.
Examples of ordinal numerals are second (2nd and not 2rd), third (3rd not 3th), fifth (5th), twelfth (12th) and so on.
Other examples of first/ 1st in a sentence:
- I was 1st (not 1th) to try this ice cream
- Usain Bolt was 1st in this running race
- You always sit in the first row!
- 1st place in the English exam goes to Roberto, congratulations!
Note that none of the above are written as 1th.
How do I write correctly – 1th or 1st?
First is an ordinal that so many write incorrectly. But let’s learn the right way.
The correct spelling of this word is 1st.
Is 1th a word?
No. 1th is incorrect. A person who writes 1th still means first but it is incorrect.
Remember to use the ending “st” when writing the word first down.
Sound it out
As we always say, a simple way to know which is right is to simply try to speak them out loud.
First.
1th – when you try to say “oneth” or “firsth”, it does not sound right.
1st – looks like first, doesn’t it. And just sounds right. Remember to speak words like out loud, it is often very useful.
Popularity of the search terms online
A search for the exact term “1st” on Google in February of 2023 yielded nearly 2 billion results.
A search for the exact term “1th” on the same day in 2023 only resulted in only 8.5 million results.
What does this tell us?
This clearly means that 1st (and not 1th) is more popular and as is often (but not always), the case, the right way to write the word first.
Do you make errors when you spell 1st or other ordinal numerals?
Or do you have any tips to remember how to write it correctly? Let me know!
Leave your opinions in our “1th vs 1st” comments below.
References
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Occasionally though, we do get it wrong. We are not perfect and can make mistakes. If you see an error in this article (1th or 1st), please let us know so we can fix it. No guarantee of accuracy is provided.