Twelve

How to spell twelve

6 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce twelve

What does twelve mean?

1. otherThe cardinal number equal to ten plus two; 12.

Twelve in a sentence

• The meeting starts at twelve noon sharp.

• There are twelve months in a calendar year.

Where does twelve come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

Twelve comes from the Old English twelf, which descends from a Proto-Germanic form sometimes reconstructed as twalif. The word literally meant something like 'two left', that is, two remaining after ten have been counted, built from the root for 'two' plus a suffix related to the verb 'to leave' or 'remain'. The number 'eleven' was formed the same way, meaning 'one left' over ten, which is why both words look so unlike the regular -teen numbers that follow. The unusual 'lve' spelling preserves the old Germanic ending that softened over the centuries, and it explains why the modern spelling does not match the way the word sounds. Related forms appear across the Germanic family, such as German zwölf and Dutch twaalf, all carrying the same 'two left over ten' idea.

How the word is built

• twelve (single root; from Old English twelf, literally 'two left over' after ten)