Long and short scales#History

In both scales, names are given to orders of magnitude at increments of 1000. Both systems use the same names for magnitudes less than 10⁹. Differences arise from the use of identical names for larger magnitudes. For the same magnitude name (n-illion), the value is 10³ⁿ⁺³ in the short scale but 10⁶ⁿ in the long scale for positive integers n.

In some languages, the long scale uses additional names for the intermediate multipliers, replacing the ending -ion with -iard; for example, the next multiplier after million is milliard (10⁹); after a billion it is billiard (10¹⁵). Hence, a long scale n-illiard equals 10⁶ⁿ⁺³.

The following table shows the size of first few short and long scale magnitudes. Notice how billion and trillion are in both scales but have different sizes.

The following tables shows corresponding names and values of the two scales.

Note that instead of using an intermediate long scale word (illiard), a quantity is sometimes specified in terms of the smaller illion word. For example, "thousand billion" instead of "billiard".

The different sizes of the same names of the two scales can be described as:

One way to avoid confusion between the two scales is to use positional notation. For example 1,000,000,000,000 rather than 1 trillion (short scale) or 1 billion (long scale). This method becomes unwieldy for very large numbers.

Combinations of the unambiguous words such as ten, hundred, thousand and million. For example: one thousand million and one million million.

{{cite web

|title= BBC: GCSE Bitesize – The origins of the universe

|work= BBC

|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/edexcel/space/theoriginsoftheuniverserev1.shtml

|access-date= 28 July 2011

}}

Scientific notation (for example 1{{E|10}}), or its engineering notation variant (for example 10{{E|9}}), or the computing variant E notation (for example 1e10). This is the most common practice among scientists and mathematicians.

SI metric prefixes. For example, giga for 10⁹ and tera for 10¹² can give gigawatt (10⁹ W) and terawatt (10¹² W). Use with non-SI units is unambiguous. For example, giga-dollars, megabucks, k€ and M€.

Although this situation has been developing since the 1200s, the first recorded use of the terms short scale ({{langx|fr|échelle courte}}) and long scale ({{langx|fr|échelle longue}}) was by the French mathematician Geneviève Guitel in 1975.

The short scale was never widespread before its general adoption in the United States. It has been taught in American schools since the early 1800s. It has since become common in other English-speaking nations and several other countries. For most of the 19th and early 20th centuries, the United Kingdom largely used the long scale,{{cite book

|url= https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=billion%2Cthousand+million%2Cmilliard&year_start=1808&year_end=1967&corpus=18&smoothing=3&share=

|title= British-English usage of 'Billion vs Thousand million vs Milliard'

|via= Google Books ngram viewer

|publisher= Google Inc

|access-date= 26 April 2014

}}

{{Cite book

|last= Fowler

|first= H. W.

|author-link= Henry Watson Fowler

|title= A Dictionary of Modern English Usage

|publisher= Oxford University Press

|year= 1926

|location= Great Britain

|pages= 52–53

|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=hrtIDakUpA4C&q=billion&pg=PT169

|isbn= 978-0-19-860506-5}}

whereas the United States used the short scale, so that the two systems were often referred to as British and American in the English language. After several decades of increasing informal British usage of the short scale, in 1974 the government of the UK adopted it,

{{cite web

|title= "BILLION" (DEFINITION) — HC Deb 20 December 1974 vol 883 cc711W–712W

|work= Hansard Written Answers

|publisher= Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)

|date= 20 December 1972

|url= https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1974/dec/20/billion-definition#S5CV0883P0_19741220_CWA_439

|access-date= 2 April 2009}}

and it is used for all official purposes.

{{Cite news

|last= O'Donnell

|first= Frank

|title= Britain's £1 trillion debt mountain – How many zeros is that?

|newspaper= The Scotsman

|date= 30 July 2004

|url= http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Britains-1-trillion-debt-mountain.2550147.jp

|access-date= 31 January 2008}}

{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/more_or_less/6625545.stm|title=Who wants to be a trillionaire?|date=7 May 2007|work=BBC News|access-date=11 May 2010|language=en-GB}}

{{Cite mailing list

|last= Comrie

|first= Bernard

|author-link= Bernard Comrie

|title= billion:summary

|mailing-list= Linguist List

|date= 24 March 1996

|url= https://linguistlist.org/issues/7/7-451

|access-date= 24 July 2011}}

{{cite web

|title= Oxford Dictionaries: How many is a billion?

|publisher= Oxford University Press

|url= https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/explore/how-many-is-a-billion/

|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170112163426/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/explore/how-many-is-a-billion

|url-status= dead

|archive-date= 12 January 2017

|access-date= 7 May 2018}}

{{cite web

|title= Oxford Dictionaries: Billion

|publisher= Oxford University Press

|url= http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/billion

|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110811080212/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/billion

|url-status= dead

|archive-date= 11 August 2011

|access-date= 24 July 2011}}

{{Cite book

|last= Nielsen

|first= Ron

|title= The Little Green Handbook

|publisher= Macmillan Publishers

|year= 2006

|page= [https://archive.org/details/littlegreenhandb00ronn/page/290 290]

|url= https://archive.org/details/littlegreenhandb00ronn/page/290

|isbn= 978-0-312-42581-4

|url-access= registration

}} The British usage and American usage are now identical.

The existence of the different scales means that care must be taken when comparing large numbers between languages or countries, or when interpreting old documents in countries where the dominant scale has changed over time. For example, British English, French, and Italian historical documents can refer to either the short or long scale, depending on the date of the document, since each of the three countries has used both systems at various times in its history. Today, the United Kingdom officially uses the short scale, but France and Italy use the long scale.

The pre-1974 former British English word billion, post-1961 current French word billion, post-1994 current Italian word bilione, Spanish billón, German Billion, Dutch biljoen, Danish billion, Swedish biljon, Finnish biljoona, Slovenian bilijon, Polish bilion, and European Portuguese word bilião (with a different spelling to the Brazilian Portuguese variant, but in Brazil referring to short scale) all refer to 10¹², being long-scale terms. Therefore, each of these words translates to the American English or post-1974 British English word: trillion (10¹² in the short scale), and not billion (10⁹ in the short scale).

On the other hand, the pre-1961 former French word billion, pre-1994 former Italian word bilione, Brazilian Portuguese word bilhão, and Welsh word biliwn all refer to 10⁹, being short scale terms. Each of these words translates to the American English or post-1974 British English word billion (10⁹ in the short scale).

The term billion originally meant 10¹² when introduced. In long scale countries, milliard was defined to its current value of 10⁹, leaving billion at its original 10¹² value and so on for the larger numbers. Some of these countries, but not all, introduced new words billiard, trilliard, etc. as intermediate terms. In some short scale countries, milliard was defined to 10⁹ and billion dropped altogether, with trillion redefined down to 10¹² and so on for the larger numbers. In many short scale countries, milliard was dropped altogether and billion was redefined down to 10⁹, adjusting downwards the value of trillion and all the larger numbers.

The root mil in million does not refer to the numeral, 1. The word, million, derives from the Old French, milion, from the earlier Old Italian, milione, an intensification of the Latin word, mille, a thousand. That is, a million is a big thousand, much as a great gross is a dozen gross or 12 × 144 = 1728.

{{Cite book

|last= Smith

|first= David Eugene

|author-link= David Eugene Smith

|title= History of Mathematics

|publisher= Courier Dover Publications

|volume= II

|orig-year= first published 1925

|date= 1953

|pages= 81

|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=uTytJGnTf1kC&pg=PA81

|isbn= 978-0-486-20430-7

}}

The word milliard, or its translation, is found in many European languages and is used in those languages for 10⁹. However, it is not found in American English, which uses billion, and not used in British English, which preferred to use thousand million before the current usage of billion. The financial term yard, which derives from milliard, is used on financial markets, as, unlike the term billion, it is internationally unambiguous and phonetically distinct from million. Likewise, many long scale countries use the word billiard (or similar) for one thousand long scale billions (i.e., 10¹⁵), and the word trilliard (or similar) for one thousand long scale trillions (i.e., 10²¹), etc.

{{cite web|title=Wortschatz-Lexikon: Milliarde|publisher=Universität Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon|language=de|url=http://wortschatz.uni-leipzig.de/cgi-bin/wort_www.exe?site=1&Wort=Milliarde|access-date=19 August 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927052529/http://wortschatz.uni-leipzig.de/cgi-bin/wort_www.exe?site=1&Wort=Milliarde|archive-date=27 September 2011}}

{{cite web|title=Wortschatz-Lexikon: Billion|publisher=Universität Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon|language=de|url=http://wortschatz.uni-leipzig.de/cgi-bin/wort_www.exe?site=1&Wort=Billion|access-date=19 August 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807144431/http://wortschatz.uni-leipzig.de/cgi-bin/wort_www.exe?site=1&Wort=Billion|archive-date=7 August 2011}}

{{cite web|title=Wortschatz-Lexikon: Billiarde|publisher=Universität Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon|language=de|url=http://wortschatz.uni-leipzig.de/cgi-bin/wort_www.exe?site=1&Wort=Billiarde|access-date=28 July 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927052446/http://wortschatz.uni-leipzig.de/cgi-bin/wort_www.exe?site=1&Wort=Billiarde|archive-date=27 September 2011}}

{{cite web|title=Wortschatz-Lexikon: Trilliarde|publisher=Universität Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon|language=de|url=http://wortschatz.uni-leipzig.de/cgi-bin/wort_www.exe?site=1&Wort=Trilliarde|access-date=28 July 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927052502/http://wortschatz.uni-leipzig.de/cgi-bin/wort_www.exe?site=1&Wort=Trilliarde|archive-date=27 September 2011}}

{{cite web

|title= Direttiva CEE / CEEA / CE 1994 n. 55, p.12

|language= it

|publisher= Italian Government

|date= 21 November 1994

|url= http://www.frareg.com/news/legislazione/ambiente/direttiva_1994_55_CE.pdf

|access-date= 24 July 2011}}

;Timeline

[[File:EScalas corta y larga.svg|thumb|center|650px|Short and long scale usage throughout the world{{Div col|small=yes|colwidth=10em}}

{{Legend|#bee6a0|Long scale}}

{{Legend|#3b4e93|Short scale}}

{{Legend|#0088ab|Short scale with milliard instead of billion}}

{{Legend|#30bead|Both scales}}

{{Legend|#fc8d62|Other naming system}}

{{Legend|#E0E0E0|No data}}

{{div col end}}]]

{{block indent|10⁶, one million; 10⁹, one billion; 10¹², one trillion; etc.}}

Most English-language countries and regions use the short scale with 10⁹ being billion. For example:{{#tag:ref|English language countries: Apart from the United States, the long scale was used for centuries in many English language countries before being superseded in recent times by short scale usage. Because of this history, some long scale use persists and the official status of the short scale in anglophone countries other than the UK and US is sometimes obscure. |group="shortscale note"}}

{{div col|colwidth=18em}}

• {{AUS}}{{#tag:ref|Australian usage: In Australia, education, media outlets, and literature all use the short scale in line with other English-speaking countries. The current recommendation by the Australian Government Department of Finance and Deregulation (formerly known as AusInfo), and the legal definition, is the short scale.

{{cite web

|title= RBA: Definition of billion

|publisher= Reserve Bank of Australia

|url= http://www.rba.gov.au/glossary/index.html?search=billion

|access-date= 22 August 2011}}

As recently as 1999, the same department did not consider short scale to be standard, but only used it occasionally. Some documents use the term thousand million for 10⁹ in cases where two amounts are being compared using a common unit of one 'million'. |group="shortscale note"}}

• {{CAN}} (English-speaking) see Using both below
• {{IRL}} (English-speaking, {{langx|ga|billiún}}, trilliún)
• {{UK}}{{#tag:ref|British usage: Billion has meant 10⁹ in most sectors of official published writing for many years now. The UK government, the BBC, and most other broadcast or published mass media, have used the short scale in all contexts since the mid-1970s.{{Cite news

|work= BBC

|title= BBC News: Who wants to be a trillionaire?

|date= 7 May 2007

|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/more_or_less/6625545.stm

|access-date= 11 May 2010

}}{{paragraph break}} Before the widespread use of billion for 10⁹, UK usage generally referred to thousand million rather than milliard. The long scale term milliard, for 10⁹, is obsolete in British English, though its derivative, yard, is still used as slang in the London money, foreign exchange, and bond markets. |group="shortscale note"}}

• {{USA}}{{#tag:ref|American usage: In the United States, the short scale has been taught in school since the early 19th century. It is therefore used exclusively.{{cite encyclopedia

|title= billion

|encyclopedia= Cambridge Dictionaries Online

|publisher= Cambridge University Press

|url= http://dictionaries.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=billion*1+0&dict=A

|access-date= 21 August 2011

}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite web

|title= trillion

|work= Cambridge Dictionaries Online

|publisher= Cambridge University Press

|url= http://dictionaries.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=trillion*1+0&dict=A

|access-date= 21 August 2011

}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} |group="shortscale note"}}

{{div col end}}

{{block indent|10⁶, {{lang|ar|مَلْيُوْن|rtl=yes}} {{lang|ar-Latn|malyoon}}; 10⁹, {{lang|ar|مِلْيَار|rtl=yes}} {{lang|ar-Latn|milyar}}; 10¹², {{lang|ar|تِرِلْيُوْن|rtl=yes}} {{lang|ar-Latn|tirilyoon}}; etc.}}

Most Arabic-language countries and regions use the short scale with 10⁹ being {{lang|ar|مليار|rtl=yes}} {{lang|ar-Latn|milyar}}, except for a few countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE which use the word بليون {{lang|ar-Latn|billion}} for 10⁹. For example:{{#tag:ref|Arabic language countries: Most Arabic-language countries use: 10⁶, {{lang|ar|مليون|rtl=yes}} {{lang|ar-Latn|million}}; 10⁹, {{lang|ar|مليار|rtl=yes}} {{lang|ar-Latn|milyar}}; 10¹², {{lang|ar|ترليون|rtl=yes}} {{lang|ar-Latn|trilyon}}; etc.{{cite web

|title= Al Jazem English-Arabic online dictionary: Billion

|work= Al Jazem English-Arabic online dictionary

|publisher= Encyclopædia Britannica

|url= http://www.aljazem.com/en/billion

|access-date= 6 June 2012

}}{{cite web

|title= Al Jazem English-Arabic online dictionary:Trillion

|work= Al Jazem English-Arabic online dictionary

|publisher= Encyclopædia Britannica

|url= http://www.aljazem.com/en/trillion

|access-date= 6 June 2012}}

|group="shortscale note"}}

{{div col|colwidth=18em}}

• {{DZA}}
• {{EGY}}
• {{IRQ}}
• {{MAR}}
• {{SAU}}
• {{ARE}}

{{div col end}}

{{block indent|10⁶, one million; 10⁹, one milliard or one billion; 10¹², one trillion; etc.}}

Other countries also use a word similar to trillion to mean 10¹², etc. Whilst a few of these countries like English use a word similar to billion to mean 10⁹, most like Arabic have kept a traditionally long scale word similar to milliard for 10⁹. Some examples of short scale use, and the words used for 10⁹ and 10¹², are

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• {{BRA}} (Brazilian Portuguese: {{lang|pt|bilhão}}, {{lang|pt|trilhão}})
• {{INA}} ({{lang|id|miliar}}, {{lang|id|triliun}}){{#tag:ref|Indonesian usage: Large numbers are common in Indonesia, in part because its currency (rupiah) is generally expressed in large numbers (the lowest common circulating denomination is Rp100 with Rp1000 is considered as base unit). The term {{lang|id|juta}}, equivalent to million (10⁶), is generally common in daily life. Indonesia officially employs the term {{lang|id|miliar}} (derived from the long scale Dutch word {{lang|nl|miljard}}) for the number 10⁹, with no exception. For 10¹² and greater, Indonesia follows the short scale, thus 10¹² is named {{lang|id|triliun}}. The term {{lang|id|seribu miliar}} (a thousand milliards) or more rarely {{lang|id|sejuta juta}} (a million millions) or {{lang|id|sejuta berkali-kali}} (a millions after a million or a millions over a million) are also used for 10¹² less often. Terms greater than {{lang|id|triliun}} are not very familiar to Indonesians.Robson S. O. (Stuart O.), Singgih Wibisono, Yacinta Kurniasih. Javanese English dictionary Tuttle Publishing: 2002, {{ISBN|0-7946-0000-X}}, 821 pages|group="shortscale note"}}
• {{ISR}} (Hebrew: {{lang|he|מיליארד}} {{lang|he-Latn|milyard}}, {{lang|he|טריליון}} {{lang|he-Latn|trilyon}})
• {{RUS}} ({{lang|ru|миллиард}} {{lang|ru-Latn|milliard}}, {{lang|ru|триллион}} {{lang|ru-Latn|trillion}})
• {{TUR}} ({{lang|tr|milyar}}, {{lang|tr|trilyon}})

{{div col end}}

The long scale is used by most Continental European countries and by most other countries whose languages derive from Continental Europe (with the notable exceptions of Albania, Greece, Romania,{{citation|title=May We Introduce the Romanian Language to You?|first1=Mioara|last1=Avram|first2=Marius|last2=Sala|publisher=Editura Fundatiei Culturale Române|year=2000|isbn=9789735772246|page=151|quote=the numeral miliard "billion"}} and Brazil). These countries use a word similar to billion to mean 10¹². Some use a word similar to milliard to mean 10⁹, while others use a word or phrase equivalent to thousand millions.

{{block indent|10⁶, {{Lang|nl|miljoen}}; 10⁹, {{Lang|nl|miljard}}; 10¹², {{Lang|nl|biljoen}}; etc.}}

Most Dutch-language countries and regions use the long scale with 10⁹ = {{Lang|nl|miljard}}.{{cite web

|title= De Geïntegreerde Taal-Bank: miljard

|publisher= Instituut voor Nederlandse Lexicologie

|url= http://www.wnt.inl.nl/iWDB/search?actie=article&wdb=WFT&id=63043&lemmodern=miljard

|language= nl

|access-date= 19 August 2011

}}{{cite web

|title= De Geïntegreerde Taal-Bank: biljoen

|publisher= Instituut voor Nederlandse Lexicologie

|url= http://gtb.inl.nl/iWDB/search?actie=article&wdb=WFT&id=8253&lemmodern=biljoen

|language= nl

|access-date= 19 August 2011

}}

{{block indent|10⁶, {{lang|fr|million}}; 10⁹, {{lang|fr|milliard}}; 10¹², {{lang|fr|billion}}; etc.}}

Most French-language countries and regions use the long scale with 10⁹ = {{lang|fr|milliard}}, for example:{{#TAG:REF|French usage: France, with Italy, was one of two European countries which converted from the long scale to the short scale during the 19th century, but returned to the original long scale during the 20th century. In 1961, the French Government confirmed their long scale status.{{cite web|title=French Larousse: milliard|publisher=Éditions Larousse|url=http://www.larousse.com/en/dictionaries/french/milliard|language=fr|access-date=19 August 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318130447/http://www.larousse.com/en/dictionaries/french/milliard|archive-date=18 March 2012}}{{cite web|title=French Larousse: billion|publisher=Éditions Larousse|url=http://www.larousse.com/en/dictionaries/french/billion|language=fr|access-date=19 August 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318130500/http://www.larousse.com/en/dictionaries/french/billion|archive-date=18 March 2012}} However the 9th edition of the dictionary of the {{lang|fr|italic=no|Académie française}} describes {{lang|fr|billion}} as an outdated synonym of {{lang|fr|milliard}}, and says that the new meaning of 10¹² was decreed in 1961, but never caught on.{{cite encyclopedia

|title= billion

|edition= 9th

|encyclopedia=Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

|language=fr

|publisher= Académie française

|year= 1992

|url= http://atilf.atilf.fr/dendien/scripts/generic/cherche.exe?15;s=802200930;;

|access-date= 17 January 2016

|quote= BILLION (les deux l se prononcent sans mouillure) n. m. XVe siècle, byllion, « un million de millions »; XVIe siècle, « mille millions ». Altération arbitraire de l'initiale de million, d'après la particule latine bi-, « deux fois ».
Rare. Mille millions. Syn. vieilli de Milliard. Selon un décret de 1961, le mot Billion a reçu une nouvelle valeur, à savoir un million de millions (10¹²), qui n'est pas entrée dans l'usage.|trans-quote=BILLION (the two Ls are pronounced without palatalisation) masculine noun. Spelled byllion in the 15th century when it meant a million millions; in the 16th century it meant a thousand millions. It is an arbitrary alteration of the start of million by inserting the Latin prefix bi-, meaning twice. Now rarely used. It means a thousand millions. It is an outdated synonym of Milliard. According to a decree of 1961, the word Billion received a new value, to wit a million millions (10¹²), which has not come into common usage.

}}{{Dead link|date=March 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} |group="longscale note"}}

• {{CAN}} (Canadian French) see Using both below
• {{FRA}}

{{block indent|10⁶, {{lang|de|Million}}; 10⁹, {{lang|de|Milliarde}}; 10¹², {{lang|de|Billion}}; etc.}}

German-language countries and regions use the long scale with 10⁹ = {{lang|de|Milliarde}}.

{{block indent|10⁶, {{lang|pt|milhão}}; 10⁹, {{lang|pt|mil milhões}} or {{lang|pt|milhar de milhões}}; 10¹², {{lang|pt|bilião}}}}

With the notable exception of Brazil, a short scale country, most Portuguese-language countries and regions use the long scale with 10⁹ = {{lang|pt|mil milhões}} or {{lang|pt|milhar de milhões}}.

{{block indent|10⁶, {{lang|es|millón}}; 10⁹, {{lang|es|mil millones}} or {{lang|es|millardo}}; 10¹², {{lang|es|billón}}; etc.}}

Most Spanish-language countries and regions use the long scale, for example:{{#tag:ref|Spanish language countries: Spanish-speaking countries sometimes use {{lang|es|millardo}} (milliard)

{{cite web

|title= Diccionario Panhispánico de Dudas: millardo

|publisher= Real Academia Española

|language= es

|url= http://buscon.rae.es/dpdI/SrvltConsulta?lema=millardo

|access-date= 19 August 2011

}} for 10⁹, but {{lang|es|mil millones}} (thousand millions) is used more frequently. The word {{lang|es|billón}} is sometimes used in the short scale sense in those countries more influenced by the United States, where "billion" means "one thousand millions". The usage of {{lang|es|billón}} to mean "one thousand millions", controversial from the start, was denounced by the Royal Spanish Academy as recently as 2010,

{{cite web

|title= Diccionario Panhispánico de Dudas: billon

|publisher= Real Academia Española

|language= es

|url= http://buscon.rae.es/dpdI/SrvltConsulta?lema=billon

|access-date= 24 July 2010}}

but was finally accepted in a later version of the official dictionary as standard usage among educated Spanish speakers in the United States (including Puerto Rico).

{{cite web

|title= Diccionario de la lengua española

|publisher= Real Academia Española

|language= es

|url= http://dle.rae.es/?id=5WQzD1r

|access-date= 2 July 2018}}

|group="longscale note"}}

• {{ARG}}
• {{MEX}} ({{lang|es|mil millones}} or {{lang|es|millardo}})
• {{ESP}} ({{lang|es|millardo}} or typ. {{lang|es|mil millones}})

{{block indent|10⁶, one million; 10⁹, one milliard or one thousand million; 10¹², one billion; etc.}}

Some examples of long scale use, and the words used for 10⁹ and 10¹², are

• {{IRN}} (Persian: میلیارد {{lang|fa|miliyard}}, بیلیون {{lang|fa|billion}}, تریلیون {{lang|fa|trillion}}) {{citation needed|date=November 2013}}
• {{ITA}} ({{lang|it|miliardo}}, {{lang|it|bilione}}) {{#tag:ref|Italian usage: Italy, with France, was one of the two European countries which partially converted from the long scale to the short scale during the 19th century, but returned to the original long scale in the 20th century. In 1994, the Italian Government confirmed its long scale status. In Italian, the word {{lang|it|bilione}} officially means 10¹², {{lang|it|trilione}} means 10¹⁸, etc.. Colloquially, {{lang|it|bilione}}{{cite web|title=Italian-English Larousse: bilione|publisher=Éditions Larousse|url=http://www.larousse.com/en/dictionaries/italian-english/bilione/5726|access-date=21 August 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318130613/http://www.larousse.com/en/dictionaries/italian-english/bilione/5726|archive-date=18 March 2012}} can mean both 10⁹ and 10¹²; {{lang|it|trilione}} {{citation needed|date=July 2011}} can mean both 10¹² and (rarer) 10¹⁸ and so on. Therefore, in order to avoid ambiguity, they are seldom used. Forms such as {{lang|it|miliardo}} (milliard) for 10⁹, {{lang|it|mille miliardi}} (a thousand milliards) for 10¹², {{lang|it|un milione di miliardi}} (a million milliards) for 10¹⁵, {{lang|it|un miliardo di miliardi}} (a milliard of milliards) for 10¹⁸, {{lang|it|mille miliardi di miliardi}} (a thousand milliard of milliards) for 10²¹ are more common. |group="longscale note"}}
• {{POL}} ({{lang|pl|miliard}}, {{lang|pl|bilion}})
• {{CHE}} (French: {{lang|fr|milliard}}, {{lang|fr|billion}}; German: {{lang|de|Milliarde}}, {{lang|de|Billion}}; Italian: {{lang|it|miliardo}}, {{lang|it|bilione}}; Romansh: {{lang|rm|milliarda}}, {{lang|rm|billiun}}{{cite web

|title= Switzerland: Words and Phrases

|publisher= TRAMsoft Gmbh

|date= 29 August 2009

|url= http://www.about.ch/culture/languages/words_n_phrases.html#numbers

|access-date= 15 August 2011}})

Some countries use either the short or long scales, depending on the internal language being used or the context.

{{block indent|10⁶, one million; 10⁹, either one billion (short scale) or one milliard / thousand million (long scale); 10¹², either one trillion (short scale) or one billion (long scale), etc.}}

The following countries use naming systems for large numbers that are not etymologically related to the short and long scales:

The long and short scales are both present on most continents, with usage dependent on the language used. For example:

{{reflist|group=shortscale note}}

{{reflist|group=longscale note}}

{{reflist|group=shortscale longscale note}}

{{reflist|group=other scale note}}

{{div col|colwidth=25em}}

• Googol (number)
• Googolplex (number)
• Names of large numbers
• Names of small numbers
• Orders of magnitude (numbers)
• Hindu units of time which displays some similar issues
• Indian numbering system

{{div col end}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15478580 BBC News article: "Is trillion the new billion?"]
• [http://www.live-counter.com/large-numbers/ Live-Counter.com: How to visualize large numbers:"]

{{Large numbers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Long And Short Scales}}

Category:Numerals

Category:Numeral systems