Number and Numb Are Not Related, but Number and Numb Are Spelled Alike
A number counts or identifies. The comparative of numb is spelled identically and pronounced with a hard B.
A number is a value used for counting or identifying. Spelled identically is *number*, the comparative of *numb* — and the two are pronounced differently: NUM-ber for the count, NUM-er for the more numb. The pair is a favourite example of English spelling failing to record pronunciation.
- A counting value. *An even number.*
- A quantity. *A large number of people.*
- A musical piece. *A dance number.*
- Number — more numb. *My hand grew number.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | number | A prime number. |
| Plural | numbers | Large numbers. |
| Verb | number | Number the pages. |
| Adjective | numerous | Numerous errors. |
| Related | numeral | A Roman numeral. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The number of people was large.Countable, so number not amount.
- My fingers grew number.The comparative of numb.
- Zero was a late arrival in Europe.Adopted from Arabic mathematics.
Kinds of number
- Natural — the counting numbers
- Integer — whole numbers including negatives
- Rational — expressible as a fraction
- Irrational — such as pi and the square root of two
- Imaginary — based on the square root of minus one
From Old French *nombre*, from Latin *numerus*. The comparative of *numb* comes from Old English *niman*, to take.
Number or amount?
Number for things you can count, amount for things you measure. A number of bottles, an amount of water.
Why is the B in numb silent?
It was added by scribes on the model of words like *thumb* and *limb*, and was never pronounced in the base word.