veinticuatro
/beintiˈkwatɾo/
The English phrase "twenty-four" is translated into Spanish as veinticuatro.
veinticuatro is used as a cardinal number to represent the quantity 24.
Meaning: cardinal number (num)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a single word formed by combining veinte (twenty) and cuatro (four) with an intervening i.
Which one should you use?
While veinticuatro is the cardinal number used for counting, if you wish to express the ordinal number "twenty-fourth", you should use vigésimo cuarto.
How does it change in a sentence?
As a cardinal number, veinticuatro is invariable in gender, so it remains the same regardless of whether it refers to masculine or feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/beintiˈkwatɾo/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, the number veinticuatro is strongly associated with the '24th of December', the night of Nochebuena. This date is often more culturally significant than the 25th for family celebrations.
- The i in veinticuatro is a remnant of the Spanish word y meaning 'and'. While the sound changed, it preserves the original structure of saying 'twenty and four'.
- In Spanish, the word veinticuatro is written as one word, but from 31 onwards, numbers like 'thirty-one' are written as two words: treinta y uno. This change in spelling occurs exactly at the transition from the twenties to the thirties.
Examples in context
- Necesito veinticuatro manzanas para la receta.I need twenty-four apples for the recipe.
- Compré veinticuatro caramelos.I bought twenty-four candies.
- Hoy es el vigésimo cuarto día del mes.Today is the twenty-fourth day of the month.
- Tengo veinticuatro años.I am twenty-four years old.
- El libro tiene veinticuatro páginas.The book has twenty-four pages.
Example conversation
Alejandro and María are talking about a calendar.
- AlejandroMaría, ¿cuándo es el examen?María, when is the exam?
- MaríaEs el veinticuatro de mayo.It is on May twenty-four.
- AlejandroGracias por avisarme.Thanks for letting me know.
- MaríaDe nada, Alejandro.You're welcome, Alejandro.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “twenty-four” translations and entries veinticuatro, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries veinticuatro, CC BY-SA 4.0.
