23th or 23rd, which is right?
Compare it Versus > Grammar > 23th vs 23rd? Which is the correct way to spell “twenty third”?
| How do you write this, 23th or 23rd? The correct way to write it is 23rd. Read on to find out more about the meaning and spelling of twenty third (23rd) in the English language. |
Meaning of 23rd or twenty third
In linguistics, 23rd is an ordinal numeral. Ordinals are used to signify the order or position of something in the English language.
In this case, 23rd, it means position 23 or simply, twenty third place. This means there are 22 people or objects ahead in the case of a race. Or, it may be the twenty third time that something has happened.
Alternatively, it could also be used to signify the 23rd day in a particular month, for example December, so 23rd of December.
Let us use 23rd in a sentence:
Your dad’s birthday is on the 23rd of November.
This means the birthday is on the twenty third day of November.
Other examples:
- I was 23rd in my 10 km race in New York
- Portugal was the 23rd member country of the European meeting.
- You are the 23rd person to ask this question in today’s symposium
Examples of ordinal numerals are first (1st), seventh (7th), twenty second (22nd) etc.
Note that none of the above examples are written as 23th- this is because it is the incorrect form.
How do I write twenty third correctly – 23th or 23rd?
Let’s get twenty third correct.
The correct spelling of this word is 23rd.
23th is incorrect.
Remember to use the ending “rd” when writing twenty third.
Sound it out – 23th vs 23rd
Let’s read out the two versions of twenty third out loud to easily find out which is the correct way.
This is always a good way to remember the right form of ordinals.
23rd – it would be read like twenty three-rd or third. Relatively clear to my mind.
23th – twenty thirth or thirdth? These are all clearly incorrect ways to say it. So same thing applies to spelling them.
Do you make errors when you spell 23rd or other ordinal numerals?
Or do you have any tips to remember how to remember to write the ordinal correctly? Let us know!
Also let me know if there is any other confusing English grammar words, sentences or ordinals you would like us to include.
Leave your opinions for “23th vs 23rd, which is right?” in the comments section below.
References
- Wikipedia Official ordinal Numbers web page, accessed in December 2022, link to ordinals page here
- Britannica online web page, accessed in July 2022, link to Britannica