How Much Is a Billion?
At times, “billion” has meant a different amount in American English than it has in other English-speaking countries. Grammar Girl explains
Mignon Fogarty
Believe it or not, the world has two naming systems for large power-of-ten numbers such as a billion and a trillion: the short scale and the long scale.
In the long scale, a billion is 1,000,000,000,000 (1012) and in the short scale, a billion is 1,000,000,000 (109). Britain traditionally used the long scale, but Americans followed the French and adopted the short scale. What a mess!
Fortunately, Britain and many other countries switched to the short scale in the mid-1970s, and “billion” usually now means the same amount in all English-speaking countries. France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Finland, and other European countries currently use the long scale. (Yes, France switched from short to long a few years before Britain switched from long to short.)
What Should You Do?
Today, you can safely use “billion” to mean 1,000,000,000. When you are reading old or translated documents, however, be aware of their country of origin and remember that the meaning of “billion” could be 1,000,000,000,000. “Billions,” plural, is also often used metaphorically to describe an unfathomable amount.
Money photo courtesy of Shutterstock.
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About the Author
Mignon Fogarty is the founder of Quick and Dirty Tips and the author of seven books on language, including the New York Times bestseller “Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.” She is an inductee in the Podcasting Hall of Fame, and the show is a five-time winner of Best Education Podcast in the Podcast Awards. She has appeared as a guest expert on the Oprah Winfrey Show and the Today Show. Her popular LinkedIn Learning courses help people write better to communicate better.