bilione
/biˈljo.ne/feminine
The English word 'trillion' is translated into Italian as bilione.
bilione refers to the number a million million (10¹²).
Meaning: a million million, 1012 (num)
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /biˈljo.ne/. It has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 2nd syllable.
Did you know?
- While English speakers use 'trillion' to mean 10 to the power of 12, an Italian speaker using the word trilione would actually be referring to a number much larger: 10 to the power of 18.
- The Italian naming system is designed so that the prefix 'bi-' in bilione indicates that a million has been squared.
- Because of the difference between the 'long scale' and 'short scale', using the English word 'trillion' while speaking Italian can lead to massive mathematical errors in business negotiations.
Examples in context
- L'economia globale vale un triliardo di dollari.The global economy is worth a trillion dollars.
- La cifra raggiunge un bilione.The figure reaches a trillion.
Example conversation
Alessandro and Sofia are discussing astronomy.
- AlessandroQuante stelle ci sono nella galassia?How many stars are there in the galaxy?
- SofiaForse più di una bilione.Maybe more than a trillion.
- AlessandroÈ un numero davvero incredibile.That is a truly incredible number.
- SofiaSì, l'universo è immenso.Yes, the universe is immense.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “trillion” translations and entries bilione, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
