billion
/bi.ljɔ̃/masculine
The French word for the English number trillion (10^12) is billion. Wiktionary also lists mille milliards.
Meaning: a million million, 1012 (num)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| billion | /bi.ljɔ̃/ | masculine |
| mille milliards | masculine, plural |
The term refers to a million million (10^12).
Which one should you use?
While billion is a form used for this value, modern French speakers often use the phrase mille milliards to express the same amount to ensure clarity.
How do you pronounce it?
/bi.ljɔ̃/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use billion to mean 'trillion' (10^12) in French because they confuse the scales of the long and short numbering systems.
Did you know?
- The word billion is constructed from the prefix bi-, meaning 'two', combined with -illion.
- While billion means 10^12 in French, the English 'billion' (10^9) is translated into French as milliard.
- The French numbering system follows a logic where each -illion word increases by a factor of a million rather than a thousand.
Examples in context
- Il prétend savoir compter jusqu'à un billion.He claims to know how to count to a trillion.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use billion when referring to counting.Tatoeba #10463876 by Julien_PDC, translation #12267669 by Miktsoanit
- D'après les estimations, le projet coûtera un billion d'euros.According to the estimates, the project will cost a trillion euros.
- La dette nationale s'élève à mille milliards de dollars.The national debt amounts to a trillion dollars.
- Les dépenses de l'événement ont atteint mille milliards d'euros.The expenses for the event reached a trillion euros.
- Il y avait un trilliard de personnes au concert hier soir !There were a trillion people at the concert last night!
- Je te rembourserai, je te le jure, un million de milliards de fois !I will pay you back, I promise, a trillion times!
- Le budget dépasse un billion de dollars.The budget exceeds a trillion dollars.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Manon are discussing a scientific report.
- GabrielLe rapport parle d'un billion de cellules.The report talks about a trillion cells.
- ManonC'est un chiffre vraiment incroyable.That is a truly incredible number.
- GabrielIl faut un billion de données pour prouver cela.It takes a trillion pieces of data to prove that.
- ManonLa recherche avance vite, Gabriel.Research is progressing fast, Gabriel.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “trillion” translations and entries billion, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries billion, mille, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
