Welcome to learning how to read numbers! Every digit in a number has a specific value based on its position, which we call place value. Let's examine the number three thousand four hundred fifty-six to understand how place value works.
To read large numbers easily, we group digits into periods of three, starting from the right. The number one million two hundred thirty-four thousand five hundred sixty-seven has three periods: the millions period containing one, the thousands period containing two three four, and the ones period containing five six seven.
Now let's learn how to read each period. First, read the digits in each group as if they were a number between one and nine hundred ninety-nine. Then add the period name after each group, except for the ones period. For one million two hundred thirty-four thousand five hundred sixty-seven, we read 'one' plus 'million', then 'two hundred thirty-four' plus 'thousand', then 'five hundred sixty-seven' with no period name.
Let's practice with some examples. For forty-five thousand six hundred seventy-eight, we read forty-five plus thousand, then six hundred seventy-eight. For nine million eight hundred seventy-six thousand five hundred forty-three, we read nine plus million, eight hundred seventy-six plus thousand, then five hundred forty-three.
To summarize what we've learned about reading numbers: understand that each digit's position determines its value through place value. Group digits into periods of three from right to left. Read each period as a number between one and nine hundred ninety-nine, then add the period name like thousand or million, except for the ones period. With practice, reading large numbers becomes easy and natural.