pronunciation - Why numbers are sometimes pronounced as individual numbers?


456


four hundred fifty-six.


four, five, six.


Is there any rule or something? Is the second one just for faster pronunciation?



Answer



If there is a general rule to find, then it's almost certainly down to speed.


[I'm in the UK, there may be regional differences]


Bus numbers are generally read as numbers up to 100 (read as "The eighty-eight runs from Vauxhall to Westminster, as does the eighty-seven") and as separate digits from 101 onwards ("The four-three-six runs from Paddington to Lewisham").


Similarly with road numbers: "The A twenty-seven runs from Hastings to Bournemouth; the A two-seven-two runs from Winchester to Heathfield."


However, if you're actually counting, then it's always a number:



John 21:10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.



That number would always be read as "one hundred [and] fifty-three", not individual digits.


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