Two-Thousand-and-Ten or Twenty-Ten?

Published February 10, 2009 @ 13:25 in Miscellaneous

CalendarTen years ago, it was 1999. We called that year "nineteen-ninety-nine". Canada became a nation in 1867. We called that year "eighteen-sixty-seven". For the past nine years, however, we took a different approach to how we say our calendar years.

This is 2009. We all say "two-thousand-and-nine". For some reason, we don't say "twent-oh-nine". I think that's because the "oh" part of "twenty-oh-nine" is awkward.

Next year is 2010. I'll bet we all call it "two-thousand-and-ten". Shouldn't we go back to the way it always was and call it "twenty-ten"?

Which will it be: two-thousand-and-ten or twenty-ten?

32 Responses to "Two-Thousand-and-Ten or Twenty-Ten?"

Ray
February 10, 2009 / 13:44

How do people refer to the movie? 2010: The Year We Make Contact

I thought I would say twenty-ten, but then saying it enough times - two thousand and ten sounds right too.

Ajax Mike
February 10, 2009 / 14:29

Twenty-ten for me.

Mike Kic
February 10, 2009 / 16:19

Doesn't the Vancouver Olympics already promote the "twenty-ten" Olympic Games? I'm going with "twenty-ten"

Fredericton Steve
February 10, 2009 / 16:28

it'll be twenty ten

Ed
February 10, 2009 / 17:54

I've been saying Twenty-Ten already when we talk about it. Mainly because its only 3 syllables to Two Thousand And Ten's 5. Shorter and easier to say!

Jon
February 10, 2009 / 17:55

Clearly this question can be answered by only one man..


Justin Pogge

dale
February 10, 2009 / 18:24

What a great question.
Twenty ten in my books & then go on from there.

Rob
February 10, 2009 / 18:55

"Y2kX" has my vote or maybe "MMX" it's a lot faster to say.


Roshan
February 10, 2009 / 21:33

I bet Mike was sitting down for breakfast and this thought came to his mind just like that. Ha, I guess both will be used but I personally go for twenty 10.

Toronto Mike
February 10, 2009 / 21:38

Believe it or not, I've been thinking about this for weeks.

For the record, I like Twenty-Ten.

elvis
February 10, 2009 / 22:05

Lots of people have been already been shortening "two thousand and one" etc to "two oh one" etc...

Twenty-ten it is.

Mike from Lowville
February 11, 2009 / 10:00

I guess all you people are too young to remember this, Zager & Evans - In the year 2525.mp3 They sang it Twenty Five, Twenty Five. I said ìn the year Two Thousand and then Twenty oh One, Twenty oh Two.........Twenty oh Nine. Had a few strange looks from some. I heard one person say, Twenty ought One but I think he was named Jethro...lol.

Horonymous
February 11, 2009 / 10:52

Deux mille dix.

Gary
February 11, 2009 / 12:42

Just re-watched Shawshank this weekend and in it Brooks says he arrived there "in ought 5"

kyle
February 11, 2009 / 21:38

either is good, just as long as you don't call it twenty-oh-ten (i've heard that one)

Mike from Lowville
February 11, 2009 / 22:31

"two oh one" is closer to a room number than a year, in my eyes but, that's just me.

Mike from Lowville
February 11, 2009 / 22:33

Oh, on the header......."I'm the only bee in your bonnet!"

Dawson
March 3, 2009 / 13:07

I've been saying twenty o for yrs. Even back in the 80's I was referring to after 2000 as twenty... more modern sounding.. it was always 19 01 and 18 01 not 1 thousand nine hundred and one... come on!!

DanG
March 20, 2009 / 18:29

Twenty-Ten it is. (I've been saying "Twenty-oh" since twenty-oh-one.)

Most TV/radio news people say "twenty" for 2010 and beyond. Odd, but advertisers still say "two thousand and ten". Don't know why they don't get it.

Patrick
March 21, 2009 / 00:29

Dan:

Yeah, I agree. All the new ads for the 2010 cars are coming out, and they all say "two thousand ten".

Damn, "two thousand" has lost its edge, it doesn't sound futuristic anymore. "Twenty" sounds modern and appropriate for 2010.

*sigh* those damn car companies, probably just want to make absolute sure that none of their customers were confused about "twenty-ten".

Anonymous
April 20, 2009 / 19:38

you don't say and...there is no decimal point

DanC
April 21, 2009 / 08:32

I think by the year 2010, it will be half and half (half going for twenty ten, and half opting for two thousand ten). But by the year 2020, it will be all over but the shoutin'. Twenty twenty is just too perfect, and with its alternate meaning of "clarity" (think 20/20 vision), it would almost seem awkward to refer to the first "20" as two thousand and the second "20" as twenty. After that, I believe that "twenty" will endure through the rest of the century.

DanG
May 7, 2009 / 04:13

I heard a radio add today for the 2010 Ford Fusion. They said "twenty-ten". Finally!

Sims
May 29, 2009 / 17:09

And Ashley Furniture TV ad:
"No payments until twenty-thirteen."
So, they're getting it. One at a time.

Nathan
August 8, 2009 / 21:32

Yeah I agree with Dawson. I don't think pronouncing it "twenty-ten" is changing anything, since technically the current year should be reffered to as twenty-oh-nine. A hundred years ago the year was nineteen-oh-nine, and now it is twenty-oh-nine. I think it all began back in the sixties with the movie 2001 Space Odyssey when they pronounced it two-thousand-one. (btw, I'm just assuming this since I'm only 15 and don't remember the 60's)

Jimmy
November 6, 2009 / 23:37

Nathan you are right...I'll bet that the movie 2001: A Space Odessy began the mispronunciation of the year. The director of the movie, Stanley Kubrick, even said he wrestled with how to pronounce the year. He was a very eccentric guy and I'll bet he went with the incorrect pronunciation rather than the correct. Knowing his movie would nudge people to pronounce the year as two thousand and one.

The bottom line is what number comes after 19?..It's 20...You say Nineteen Oh Nine, so the current year is called twenty-oh nine...There is no comma after the two...

Incorrect - 2,009
Correct - 2009

I've been pronouncing the year properly since 2001. People laugh or tell me to say the year correctly...I say I am. I wasn't born in the year One Thousand, Nine hundred and Seventy One (1971)...

David
December 1, 2009 / 10:09

A point everyone has missed is that Twenty Ten instantly communicates a date as opposed to a number. The Two Thousand thing was a novelty and aberration- heh they even celebrated the millennium a whole year early, only 99 years after seeing in the 20th century at the END of 1900.

Nulono
December 7, 2009 / 14:01

This is in no way "the way it has always been"; Article 1 Section 9 of the US Constitution forbids the regulation of slavery until 1808, and says "one thousand eight hundred and eight".

Nulono
December 7, 2009 / 14:27

The logic that "oh" is "awkward" makes no sense. What about nineteen "oh" five?

Marc
December 22, 2009 / 09:32

Twenty-ten, it's easier to say.

We got stuck with "two thousand and ..." due to the year "two thousand" which didn't really have an alternative - but it should have been a one off.

BaltimoreBabe
December 28, 2009 / 02:36

I am on a real soap box about this. I am correcting everyone that is should be pronounced "twenty ten". And when they ask why I say how did they pronounce "1910"? Did they say "one thousand nine hundred and ten"? Also I agree that it was uncomfortable to pronounce the "oh" - I think that's why people have been pronouncing the last years "two thousand and ...". SPREAD THE WORD!

Chels
December 30, 2009 / 22:59

It'll be twenty ten. We probably started two thousand because it would be weird saying twenty zero zero or twenty hundreds (like 1800 = eighteen hundred).

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