How to convert number written in alphabets to int

Have you ever wondered how you could convert a number written in words, like “forty-two,” into a numerical value like 42? It may sound tricky at first, but it’s actually a pretty simple task, especially once you understand the process. In this blog, I’m going to walk you through how to convert number written in alphabets to int (integer) using a method that’s easy to follow.

Why Would You Need This?

There are many times when we might come across numbers written in words instead of digits. For instance, you might find them in text-based documents, checks, or legal forms. Imagine having to process or calculate these numbers using a computer! To do that, we need to convert the words into numbers.

Let’s dive into how we can make this conversion step by step.

Breaking Down the Process

1. Recognize the Number Words
   The first step is to recognize common number words. We use words like “one,” “two,” “ten,” and “hundred,” which represent specific values. The key is knowing how different words map to numerical digits. Here’s a quick look at some examples:
   • Single digits: one = 1, two = 2, three = 3, up to nine = 9.
   • Tens: ten = 10, twenty = 20, thirty = 30, and so on.
   • Larger values: hundred = 100, thousand = 1,000, million = 1,000,000.
2. Handle Compounds
   Numbers like “twenty-one” or “ninety-five” are compound numbers. These are combinations of tens and units. For example, “twenty-one” combines “twenty” (20) and “one” (1) to make 21.
3. Work with Larger Numbers
   For larger numbers like “one hundred twenty-three” or “five thousand two hundred,” the words follow a pattern. You process them from left to right, breaking them into parts:
   • For “one hundred twenty-three,” it’s 100 + 23 = 123.
   • For “five thousand two hundred,” it’s 5000 + 200 = 5200.

Example in Action

Let’s take the number written as “four hundred thirty-two” and convert it into an integer.

• Start with the hundreds: “four hundred” = 4 × 100 = 400.
• Next, move to the tens: “thirty” = 30.
• Finally, the ones: “two” = 2.

Now, just add these together:
400 + 30 + 2 = 432

You can see how each part of the number is separated and then added to get the final result.

How to convert number written in alphabets to int (Doing This with Code)

If you need to convert numbers written in words to integers using code, most programming languages have libraries or ways to do this. For example, in Python, we can use a library called word2number. Here’s how it works:

from word2number import w2n

# Example conversion
num_in_words = "four hundred thirty-two"
num_in_int = w2n.word_to_num(num_in_words)

print(num_in_int)  # Output: 432

This simple code will take the string “four hundred thirty-two” and convert it into the number 432.

Conclusion

Converting numbers written in alphabets to integers can seem complicated, but by breaking the number into parts and following a consistent method, it’s easy to understand. Whether you’re dealing with numbers for fun, for school, or in a project, you now have the tools to convert them with ease!

Next time you see a number written in words, you’ll know exactly how to handle it.