Amount in Words: How Do You Write It in English and Arabic?

Writing the amount in words next to the figures, as on a cheque, voucher or invoice, stops anyone adding a digit or moving the decimal point. Type an amount and the converter writes it in English, in Saudi riyals and halalas ending in "only", and in Arabic with the counted noun in the correct grammatical form, the way Arabic cheques and invoices in Saudi Arabia show it. The other tabs handle US dollars, UAE dirhams and Egyptian pounds, or a plain number with no currency. For long lists there is an Excel function that does the same in both languages.

How the amount in words converter works

The converter splits the amount into riyals and halalas, then splits the riyals into groups: billions, millions, thousands, and hundreds and below. Each group is written out with its scale word (thousand, million), the groups are joined, and the currency noun is added in the form the number needs. The amount is rounded to the nearest halala first. In English, "and" goes between hundreds and tens, and numbers from 21 to 99 take a hyphen. In Arabic, the groups are joined with the word for "and", and the form of "riyal" depends on the last part of the number.

Rules for writing amounts in words in English and Arabic

In English the rules are short: "and" before the last two digits of each group, a hyphen in twenty-one to ninety-nine, "riyal" for one and "riyals" for the rest. In Arabic, most mistakes are in the counted noun rather than the number, and the form changes with the number:

In a compound number the last part decides the Arabic form: 1,003 takes the plural, 1,020 the accusative singular and 1,100 the genitive singular. Halalas are feminine in Arabic, so the number before them takes the feminine form, while riyals are masculine. If you need the currency named in full on a Saudi cheque, write "Saudi riyals" in English; in Arabic the adjective "Saudi" follows the riyal and agrees with it.

Amounts in words on cheques, invoices and vouchers

The amount is written in words on cheques, receipt and payment vouchers, promissory notes and at the bottom of an invoice, because figures are easy to alter with an extra zero or a moved decimal point while words are not. That is why the English text ends in "only" and the Arabic text opens with "faqat" (only) and closes with "la ghayr" (nothing more): no gap is left for anyone to add to the amount. If the words and the figures differ on a commercial paper, the words generally prevail, so read them before you sign.

Cheques in the Kingdom carry a line for the amount in words next to the box for the figures, and many Saudi businesses print invoices in both languages. Copy the wording you need from the cheque preview under the result. If the text runs past the line, continue on the next one without leaving wide gaps between words.

Excel formula for amount in words (English and Arabic)

Excel has no built-in function that spells out amounts in English or Arabic, so the answer is a VBA module that adds two functions to your workbook. Download it with the "Download the Excel function" button above, then:

1. Open your Excel file and press Alt + F11 to open the VBA editor.
2. From the File menu choose Import File and select the module you downloaded.
3. Back on the sheet, type =AmountInWords(A2) for English or =TafqeetAr(A2) for Arabic in the cell next to the amount.
4. For other currencies use =AmountInWords(A2,"USD"), "AED" or "EGP"; to leave out "only", add FALSE as the third argument, as in =TafqeetAr(A2,"SAR",FALSE).
5. Save the workbook as an Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook (.xlsm), or the functions are removed when you save.

The module stores its Arabic words as Unicode code points, so it imports correctly on an English copy of Windows and Excel. If you would rather not use macros, switch on "Several amounts at once", paste your amounts and download an Excel file with the English and Arabic wording already filled in.

Tafqeet: the Arabic term behind "amount in words"

In Arabic, writing an amount in words is called tafqeet, from faqat, the word for "only" that opens the text. Accounting staff and banks in Saudi Arabia use the term, and you may see it misspelled as tanqeet because the two words sound alike. If an Arabic-speaking colleague asks for the tafqeet of an invoice total, they mean the Arabic sentence this tool gives you.

Common mistakes when writing amounts in words

• Writing halalas as a decimal, such as "point two five". Write them as a number with their noun: "and twenty-five halalas", and the Arabic does the same.
• Leaving out "only" at the end of the English, or the opening and closing words of the Arabic, on a cheque or voucher.
• Dropping the hyphen in numbers such as forty-five, or adding "and" between thousands and hundreds ("one thousand and two hundred").
• Copying an Arabic amount from a generic translation tool, which often gets the counted noun wrong after numbers from 3 to 10 or from 11 to 99.
• Writing "two hundreds riyals" or "one riyals". Hundred and thousand take no plural after a number, and one takes the singular.

What to do with the result

Copy the English with "Copy English" or the Arabic with "Copy Arabic", and paste it on the cheque, the voucher or the "amount in words" field of your invoice. "Share as link" copies a link that opens the converter with the same amount. For a list of amounts, switch on "Several amounts at once" and download them in an Excel file.

When every document needs the amount in words

The converter is enough for a cheque or a voucher. When you issue dozens of invoices and vouchers a day, spelling out each total and pasting it in by hand adds a step to every one. At Microtec we offer businesses in the Kingdom accounting software (ERP) that keeps sales, purchasing, inventory, finance and HR in one system, and our solutions are approved by the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority. Try it with your own invoices and vouchers.