2rd or 2nd?

Compare it Versus > Grammar > 2rd vs 2nd? Which is the correct way to spell “second”?
Published on November 27, 2022, last updated February 2023
By Mary S., registered secondary school English teacher

Meaning of 2nd

In linguistics (which means the study of human language), 2nd or second is an important ordinal numeral used to signify the order or position of something.

In this case, second (or 2nd), it means position 2 or second place. This means there is someone or something ahead. There may be, one (or more) behind, but it is not a definite.

Another meaning might be that something is occurring for the second time or repeating.

Example of 2nd used in a sentence:

John is sitting in the 2nd row in class.

This means that John is in the second row.

Other examples of second/2nd in a sentence:

• I was second (2nd) in my maths competition
• Ian Thorpe was 2nd in the swimming race at the Olympics
• You are the 2nd person to ask me this today

Note that none of the above are written as 2rd as it is incorrect.

Examples of ordinal numerals are first (1st), third, thirteenth, twenty third etc.

How do I write correctly – 2rd or 2nd?

Second is an important ordinal. Let’s learn to spell it the right way.

The correct spelling of this word is 2nd. 

Is 2rd a word?

No, 2rd is incorrect. If someone writes second this way, they will still mean the same thing but it is incorrect to write it this way.

Remember to use the ending “nd” when writing the word.

Sound it out – 2rd and 2nd

Let’s speak the two versions of second out loud to find out which is the correct way. This is always a good way to remember.

2rd – when you say “two-rd” or “secord”, it does not sound right.

2nd – sounds like “nd” at the end or second.

Popularity of the search terms online

A search for the exact term “2nd” on Google in February of 2023 yielded over a billion results.

Conversely, a search for the exact term “2rd” on the same day in 2023 only resulted in only about 4 million results.

What does this tell us?

This means that 2nd (and not 2rd) is more popular and as is often (but not always), the case, the right way to spell the word.

Do you make errors when you spell 2nd 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  “2th vs 2nd” comments section below.

References

1. 1. Wikipedia Ordinal Numbers web page, accessed in November 2022, link to Wiki page here
   2. Dictionary.com online web page, accessed in April 2022, link to Dictionary.com
   3. Google search engine for popularity of search terms, search completed in February 2023

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