How Would You Say This Text Number?

[lankeela]

There is an appeal on tv for funds for Sudan, and the doctor who is making the appeal tells us to text 70800 but he says 'text seventy eight hundred' - surely that would be 7800 and if anyone had trouble seeing the number on the screen they would text the wrong one. Or is it me?

[jeffa]

Depends how much pause you leave between seventy and eight hundred, I suppose.

[Obiter]

It's you. 7800 would be seven(eight hundred) not seventy.

[Daffy6543]

I would say it is 70800 as all of the charity text numbers i've seen have been 5 digits long.

[Mamyalynne]

Seven zero,eight zero zero-to be clear to all listening.

[Peter Pedant]

yes quite right

the teens and tens are frequently confused - fifteen and fifty

and also in post codes - em sixty, three ay ay

M63 AA - oops not enought for a post code but M 60 3AA is....

I have to live with this daily - yours frustrated, of M60 .......

[Peter Pedant]

No its you obiter - you didnt see

seventy eight hundred really is 78 ... oo

[Obiter]

If it were in Welsh it would be exactly as Mamy says, and no confusion:

Saith dim wyth dim dim.

[lankeela]

I would say 'seven o eight double o' otherwise its not clear even if you paused between the seventy and the eight hundred.

[Ellipsis]

seven oh eight oh oh

[jeffa]

I'm surprised no-one has suggested pronouncing the zeroes as if they were the fifteenth letter of the alphabet. You hear it all the time in adverts which tell you to call "oh-eight-hundred" instead of "zero-eight-hundred"

[jeffa]

Spoke too soon!

[Obiter]

I take your point, Pedant, but no one says seventy eight hundred for seven thousand eight hundred. Up to nineteen hundred, yes, but over 20 we revert to thousands.

[Mamyalynne]

0 ( as pronounced o) on the telephone can sound like 4.

I always say zero to avoid confusion.

[jeffa]

Me too. For one thing, it's not a letter! No-one would pronounce the number one as if it were a letter I or L!

[Lie-in King]

"Seven zero eight hundred"

[Obiter]

When I worked for Rail Enquiries this was a constant annoyance. We had to use the 24 hour clock. We used to get loads of complaints from people missing their trains because they had understood 22.11 as "twenty to eleven", i.e. 22.40.

[Mamyalynne]

But don't mumble it or someone could 'send a hero, seven nuns are dead'

[Mamyalynne]

oops

'send a hero, eight nuns are dead'

[Ellipsis]

I can see how "nought" could sound like "four", but "oh"???

[Obiter]

That reminds me of the old one dating from WWI

"Send reinforcements, we're going to advance"

At the other end it came out as "Send 3/4, we're going to a dance"