Meaning & use
26th
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Meanings
numberbefore a noun
Shows position twenty-six in an order, date, or sequence.
Grammar: Comes directly before a noun: the 26th floor; contrast the cardinal 26 floors.
Patterns
- the 26th floor
- in 26th place
- the 26th attempt
The hotel room is on the 26th floor.
Her horse finished in 26th place.
This is the 26th time I have reset the password.
numberusually singular
Names the day or point in a sequence numbered twenty-six.
Grammar: Used with the as a noun: the 26th of December; contrast the cardinal 26 December.
Patterns
- the 26th of December
- on the 26th
- by the 26th
The office closes early on the 26th.
The 26th of December is quiet in many towns.
We expect payment by the 26th.
Common combinations
- the 26th of December
- They always visit family on the 26th of December.
- 26th floor
- The stairs to the 26th floor were closed for repairs.
- 26th place
- The rookie finished 26th place in his first race.
- on the 26th
- The package should arrive on the 26th.
Word family
- twenty-six number
- The cardinal form used for amounts.
- twenty-sixth number
- The full written ordinal corresponding to 26th.
- sixth number
- The final ordinal part heard inside twenty-sixth.
Commonly confused: 26th or 26? 26th or 16th?
26th vs 26
26 is a cardinal amount; 26th shows order or date position.
26th vs 16th
16th is sixteenth; the middle sound is six, not sixteen, in twenty-sixth.
Practice
My dentist office is on the ___ floor.
Choose one answer.
Floors use an ordinal, so 26th floor is correct; 26 is an amount, 260 changes the number, and 26s is not a floor form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “26th”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.