Ordinal numbers tell the position or order of something in a list, line, or group. They show “which one” rather than “how many.”
Ordinal numbers help us describe the position of objects in order, such as “The red car is 2nd in line.”
Ordinal numbers can be identified by looking for the special endings: -st, -nd, -rd, and -th added to numbers.
Notice that the pattern repeats every ten numbers (like 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th).
Here are some important ordinal numbers you should know and recognize:
Ordinal numbers tell position, not quantity. For example, “50th” shows order in a sequence, not how many there are.
Ordinal numbers are often used to describe places in line, dates, or order of events.
When writing ordinal numbers, always use the correct ending (st, nd, rd, th) to show their position clearly.