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Meaning & use

5

number·Everyday

Last updated

UK/faɪv/
US/faɪv/

Meanings

  1. numbersingular

    The whole number that comes after 4 and before 6.

    Grammar: Takes a singular verb: 5 is odd; it is a cardinal number, not an ordinal.

    Patterns

    • 5 things
    • the number 5
    • 5 years old

    I need 5 minutes to finish packing.

    The baby is 5 months old today.

    Add 5 and 3 to make 8.

  2. numbersingular

    Used with the to show position five in a sequence.

    Grammar: Usually follows the and means fifth: the 5 item on the list sounds wrong; use the 5th item or item 5.

    Patterns

    • the 5th item
    • come in 5th place
    • the number 5 bus

    She finished the race in 5th place.

    Press 5 for customer service.

    Our team is number 5 in the league table.

Common combinations

5 minutes
The train leaves in 5 minutes.
5 years old
The school accepts children who are 5 years old.
top 5
Her song reached the top 5 this week.
number 5
He wears number 5 on his jersey.

Synonyms and how they differ

half of ten
Same value, but a phrase that describes 5 by calculation rather than naming it directly.

Word family

fifth number
The ordinal form for position 5 in a sequence.
fifty number
Ten times five; easy to confuse with fifteen by sound.
fifteen number
Five plus ten; similar to fifty but smaller.

Commonly confused: 5 or fifth? 5 or 15?

5 vs fifth

Fifth names order, while 5 names an amount: room 5 is a label, but 5th floor means the floor after the 4th.

5 vs 15

15 is fifteen, ten more than 5; the digit order changes the value.

Practice

Which word names the whole amount shown by 5?

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “5”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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