Hundred is the number 100. Used as a noun, especially in the plural (hundreds), it can also mean a large but unspecified quantity: hundreds of people were waiting outside.
What Does Hundred Mean?
Hundred comes from Old English hundred, derived from Proto-Germanic *hundą (meaning 100) combined with *raþją (reckoning or counting). Cognates appear across the Germanic language family — German hundert, Dutch honderd, Swedish hundra — showing just how ancient and fundamental this number word is. It has been in continuous use in English since before the 10th century.
In everyday English, hundred works in two distinct ways. First, as a precise number: a hundred kilometres, three hundred pages. Second, as a vague intensifier when pluralised: I've told you hundreds of times simply means "very many times" rather than a literal count. This dual function — exact and approximate — makes it one of the most versatile number words in the language.
British English inserts and between the hundreds and the remaining digits: three hundred and forty-five. American English frequently omits it: three hundred forty-five. Both forms are internationally understood, but as a learner of British English you should include and.
Example Sentences
| Sentence | Level & usage note |
|---|---|
| There are a hundred days until the summer holidays. | A2 — basic numeral use with indefinite article |
| The old bridge was built several hundred years ago. | B1 — 'several hundred' as an approximate quantity |
| There were hundreds of students at the conference. | B1 — plural noun meaning an indefinite large number |
| She gave a hundred per cent effort in every training session. | B2 — idiomatic use: 'a hundred per cent' meaning fully or completely |
| The manuscript, dated to the early fifteenth century, had lain undiscovered for the better part of six hundred years. | C1 — large numeral embedded in a complex clause; formal register |
Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| a hundred per cent | I agree with you a hundred per cent. |
| hundreds of thousands | Hundreds of thousands of people signed the petition. |
| a few hundred | Only a few hundred tickets remain on sale. |
| several hundred | The library holds several hundred rare books. |
| a couple of hundred | There were a couple of hundred guests at the reception. |
| one in a hundred | Finding a gem like this is one in a hundred. |
| a hundred times | I've read that chapter a hundred times and still love it. |
| five hundred years old | The cathedral is nearly five hundred years old. |
| hundreds and thousands | Hundreds and thousands of complaints flooded the helpline. (also a British English term for cake sprinkles) |
| not a hundred miles away | The answer to this problem is not a hundred miles away — look at the data. |
Usage Notes
Key Rules for Using Hundred
- No plural after a numeral. Say three hundred books, never three hundreds books. The plural hundreds is reserved for use without a preceding numeral.
- 'A hundred' vs 'one hundred'. Both mean 100. Use a hundred in everyday speech and one hundred in formal or official contexts where ambiguity must be avoided.
- British 'and'. In British English always include and: two hundred and sixty-three. Omitting it sounds American to British ears.
- Hundreds + of. When used as an imprecise noun, hundreds must be followed by of: hundreds of emails, not hundreds emails.
- Article choice. Use a hundred or one hundred — never the hundred unless referring to a specific previously mentioned group: The hundred students who passed were invited to the ceremony.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
There were three hundreds people at the party.
There were three hundred people at the party. (no 's' after a numeral)
Hundreds emails arrived this morning.
Hundreds of emails arrived this morning. (hundreds must be followed by 'of')
The building is two hundred years old and thirty.
The building is two hundred and thirty years old. (in British English, 'and' goes between hundreds and remaining digits)