Hundreds of thousands of anything is an awful lot of things, but it will help to know what the key differences between “hundred thousands” and “hundreds of thousands” are. This article will explore them and how you can make use of them yourself.
Is It “Hundred Thousands” Or “Hundreds Of Thousands”?
You should not use “hundred thousands” as it is incorrect. “Hundred thousand” is used instead for an exact amount of money. You should use “hundreds of thousands” when showcasing a much larger quantity of stuff without giving an exact idea of how much it is.
Generally, “hundred thousand” refers to money, and it’s rare to hear it used in other contexts. “Hundreds of thousands” is used to talk about just about anything that you can have in large quantities.
What Does “Hundred Of Thousands” Mean?
“Hundred of thousands” or “hundreds of thousands” means a large number. It means that it’s possible that the thousands are so large that there could be well over one hundred of them. “Hundreds of thousands” refers to anything from 100.001 – 999.999.
The definition of “hundred,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “the number 100.”
The definition of “thousand,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “the number 1.000.”
If we combine those two meanings, we’re left with the meaning of “hundreds of thousands,” which gives us a substantial number of things without worrying too much about an exact or specific number.
Is It “Hundred Thousands” Or “Hundred Thousand”?
“Hundred thousand” is correct because we use the words for numbers in the singular form when giving an exact number. “Hundred thousands” is incorrect because it uses the plural “thousands” even though it’s referring to a specific number.
Here’s when we might use it:
- Correct: They made a profit of six hundred thousand dollars.
- Incorrect: They made a profit of six hundred thousands dollars.
Examples Of How To Use “Hundred Thousand” In A Sentence
Let’s see how we can use “hundred thousand” in a more distinct manner. Again, it mostly refers to money, and we use it to give an exact value of something.
- They have six hundred thousand dollars to spend.
- We made five hundred thousand dollars in the last quarter.
- Have you got two hundred thousand dollars to spare?
- Last year I made nine hundred thousand dollars!
- We are estimated to lose eight hundred thousand dollars.
“Hundred thousand” works best when talking about exact monetary values. We have to be specific when using them, and it’s rare to talk about other quantities in such a specific way.
Examples Of How To Use “Hundreds Of Thousands” In A Sentence
“Hundreds of thousands” is much more general, and we don’t need an exact quantity to use it. Instead, we just want to show that something has a substantial number of things.
- They made several hundreds of thousands of dollars last year!
- I have hundreds of thousands of Facebook friends, but I know about twenty of them!
- We grow hundreds of thousands of apples every year.
- They drink hundreds of thousands of gallons each year!
- We make hundreds of thousands of dollars, though we can’t say how much!
“Hundreds of thousands” is more general than “hundred thousand.” We use it to talk about a large figure, but we don’t know the exact number or we’re not willing to give the exact number.
Should I Use A Hyphen With “Hundred Thousand”?
Sometimes, you’ll find that hyphens are useful, especially when working with written-down numbers. However, this doesn’t seem to be the case when using “hundred thousand.”
You do not need to use a hyphen with “hundred thousand.” We only use hyphens for adjectives when they modify nouns; in this case, “hundred thousand” doesn’t modify a noun, so we don’t have to use it.
Is It “Hundreds Of Thousands” Or “Hundred Of Thousands”?
If we’re going to use the plural of “thousands,” we also have to use the plural of “hundreds.”
“Hundreds of thousands” is correct when we want to show the grand scale of something without a specific number. “Hundred of thousands is never used, but it would imply that only somewhere between 100.001 and 199.999 things are possibly (since it specifies the “hundred”).
Using “hundreds of thousands” shows an almost endless scale of something. Having both “hundreds” and “thousands” in the plural form works to show that something is impossible to count because there are so many things.
If we simply used “hundred” in the singular form, it would mean that we have a much better idea of how much is available. It also means that the number can only be somewhere in the first hundred thousand potential options.
“Hundreds Of Thousands” Or “Hundreds And Thousands”?
“Hundreds of thousands” is correct when you want to show an indefinite but large number of things. “Hundreds and thousands” is correct when you want to talk about small decorative candy that you put on sweets.
The definition of “hundreds and thousands,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “small hard pieces of colored sugar used to decorate cakes, biscuits, sweets, etc.”
How Do You Write Hundreds Of Thousands?
If we were to stop using the words, we would use numbers instead. When writing “hundreds of thousands” in number format, it’s important that we get the decimal placement correct.
You should write “100.000” or more when writing “hundreds of thousands.” The decimal is placed directly after the first “hundred” (100) to separate “hundred” and “thousand.”
Interestingly, a decimal is used in US English, while a comma is used for the same reason in UK English. Depending on which language you write in, you might want to use one over the other, but both are correct.
Hundreds Of Thousands – Synonyms
It might help you to have a few synonyms lined up in place of “hundreds of thousands” when you want to talk about something on a grand scale without a definitive number.
- Few hundred thousand
- Several hundred thousand
- Couple hundred grand
- More than a hundred grand
- Hundred thou
- Hundreds of millions
All of these options are great synonyms to use instead of “hundreds of thousands.”
You might also like: “Tens Of Thousands” Meaning: 9 Example Sentences (Complete Guide)