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A2 noun #10,000 most common 11 min read

sixty

Top 10,000

Practice it Examples Notes & Tips sixty in 30 Seconds

Explanation sixty in your Level:

At the A1 level, 'sixty' is one of the basic numbers you learn after mastering 1-20. It is essential for telling time and talking about money. Students at this level should focus on the spelling—specifically that it contains the word 'six'—and the pronunciation. You will use it to say how old someone is (e.g., 'My grandmother is sixty') or to describe a price (e.g., 'It costs sixty euros'). It is important to distinguish it from 'sixteen' by emphasizing the first part of the word. At this stage, you don't need to worry about complex grammar; just treat it as a building block for basic sentences about your daily life and surroundings.

At the A2 level, you begin to use 'sixty' in more varied contexts, such as describing quantities and simple measurements. You will use it to talk about time more precisely (e.g., 'There are sixty minutes in an hour'). You also start to use compound numbers like 'sixty-five' or 'sixty-two,' and you should learn that these always require a hyphen when written as words. At this level, you might also use 'sixty' to describe speed limits or temperatures. You are expected to understand the word when heard in clear, slow speech and to use it accurately in short, routine exchanges about shopping, travel, and personal information.

At the B1 level, 'sixty' appears in more descriptive language and statistics. You might use it to talk about trends (e.g., 'Sixty percent of the population lives in cities') or to describe decades (e.g., 'The sixties were a time of change'). You should be comfortable using 'sixty' in more complex sentence structures, such as within relative clauses or as part of a compound adjective (e.g., 'a sixty-mile journey'). At B1, you also start to recognize the word in more natural, faster speech where the 't' might be slightly softened. You can use it to provide more detailed information in work or school settings, such as during a presentation about project timelines.

At the B2 level, you use 'sixty' with greater fluency and in more abstract ways. You might encounter it in idiomatic expressions or in more technical discussions about geometry and science. You should be able to follow discussions that involve 'sixty' even when the speaker is talking at a natural pace. You will also use the plural 'sixties' to discuss historical periods or demographic groups with ease. At this level, you understand the nuances of using 'sixty' in formal reports versus informal conversation. You are also expected to use the correct hyphenation and spelling in all writing tasks, including essays and formal letters, without making common errors like confusing it with 'sixteen'.

At the C1 level, your use of 'sixty' is precise and sophisticated. You understand its historical and mathematical significance, such as the sexagesimal system, and can discuss these topics if necessary. You recognize less common terms like 'threescore' in literature and understand their stylistic effect. You can use 'sixty' in highly technical or academic contexts, such as 'a sixty-fold increase' or 'the sixty-degree angle of incidence.' Your listening skills are sharp enough to distinguish 'sixty' from 'sixteen' in any accent or noisy environment. You use the word and its derivatives (like 'sexagenarian') to add variety and precision to your vocabulary in both professional and creative writing.

At the C2 level, 'sixty' is a tool you use with total mastery. You are aware of its etymological roots and its role in various cultural and scientific frameworks. You can use it in complex wordplay, puns, or highly specialized academic discourse. Whether you are analyzing a poem that uses the word 'threescore' or writing a technical paper on the sexagesimal divisions of a circle, your usage is flawless. You understand the subtle connotations of the 'sixties' as a cultural construct and can engage in deep discussions about its social impact. At this level, 'sixty' is not just a number, but a versatile element of language that you can manipulate to suit any register, from the most formal legal document to the most casual slang.

Practice it Examples Notes & Tips

sixty in 30 Seconds

Sixty is the cardinal number 60, essential for time and geometry.
It is spelled 'sixty' and always hyphenated in compounds like 'sixty-one'.
Commonly used to describe age, price, speed, and temporal units.
Often confused with sixteen; stress the first syllable to be clear.

The word sixty is a cardinal number representing the quantity of six tens. While it might seem like a simple mathematical term, its utility spans across timekeeping, geometry, and human milestones. In the English language, it serves as a bridge between the smaller, more frequent numbers and the larger hundreds. Historically, the number sixty holds immense significance due to the sexagesimal system developed by the ancient Sumerians and Babylonians. This system is why we have sixty seconds in a minute and sixty minutes in an hour. When people use this word, they are often referring to temporal measurements, age, or specific quantities in commerce and logistics.

Temporal Measurement: The most common usage of sixty is in the context of time. Because the hour is divided into sixty parts, and each part is further divided into sixty seconds, this number is a fundamental unit of our daily existence. You will hear it every time someone checks the clock or times a race.

The countdown reached sixty seconds before the rocket finally launched into the atmosphere.

Age and Milestones: Turning sixty is often seen as a major life milestone. In many cultures, it represents the transition into a 'senior' status, often associated with wisdom, retirement, or the completion of a full cycle of the Chinese zodiac. It is a reflective age where individuals look back on their careers and forward to their leisure years.

In geometry, sixty is equally vital. An equilateral triangle has three angles of sixty degrees each. This mathematical regularity makes the number highly 'composite,' meaning it has many divisors (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, 30), which is exactly why it was chosen for timekeeping—it is incredibly easy to divide into halves, thirds, quarters, and fifths. Whether you are measuring a physical angle or the passage of time, sixty remains an anchor of precision.

The architect designed the roof with a sixty-degree slope to ensure snow would slide off easily.

Speed and Limits: Sixty is a standard speed limit on many highways and rural roads globally (either 60 mph or 60 km/h). It represents a moderate but brisk pace, often used as a benchmark for vehicle performance, such as 'zero to sixty' acceleration tests.

My grandfather is celebrating his sixty years of marriage this coming weekend.

The recipe requires exactly sixty grams of butter for the pastry to be perfectly flaky.

There are sixty minutes of gameplay in a standard professional ice hockey match.

Using the word sixty correctly involves understanding its role as both a noun and a determiner. It follows the standard rules for English numbers, where it can stand alone or modify a plural noun. One of the most critical aspects of using 'sixty' is its hyphenation. When 'sixty' is combined with another number (one through nine) to form a compound number, a hyphen is mandatory: sixty-one, sixty-two, sixty-nine. This rule applies regardless of whether the number is used as a subject, object, or adjective.

As a Determiner: When sixty precedes a noun, it functions as a determiner, specifying the quantity. For example, 'sixty apples' or 'sixty dollars.' In these cases, the noun must always be plural because the quantity is greater than one.

The stadium can hold sixty thousand people during the championship game.

Describing Age Ranges: We often use sixty in the plural form ('sixties') to describe a decade or a person's age range. Note that when referring to a decade like the 1960s, we usually omit the apostrophe before the 's' in modern style guides (e.g., 'the 1960s' or 'the sixties').

In mathematical contexts, 'sixty' is used in equations and statistics. It is frequently paired with percentages or fractions. For example, 'sixty percent' indicates a majority, while 'sixty-forty split' describes a specific ratio of distribution. When using it in formal writing, many style guides (like APA or MLA) suggest writing the word out for numbers under 100, though this can vary depending on the specific field of study.

Over sixty percent of the local residents voted in favor of the new park.

Compound Adjectives: When 'sixty' is part of a compound adjective that modifies a noun, it is hyphenated to the other components. For instance, 'a sixty-minute meeting' or 'a sixty-year-old tree.' In these cases, the noun within the adjective (minute, year) remains singular.

She drove at sixty miles per hour down the empty highway.

The documentary lasted exactly sixty minutes, covering the entire history of the city.

He bought sixty shares of the tech company when the price dropped.

The word sixty is ubiquitous in daily life, but there are specific environments where it carries particular weight. You will hear it most frequently in professional settings involving time management, logistics, and broadcasting. In the world of television, '60 Minutes' is one of the most famous news programs in history, making the number synonymous with deep-dive investigative journalism. In sports, sixty is a critical number for timing periods in hockey or counting down the final minute of a basketball game.

The Newsroom and Media: Journalists often use 'sixty' to quantify time or populations. You might hear a reporter say, 'The fire was contained in under sixty minutes,' or 'Sixty percent of the votes have been tallied.' It serves as a clear, round number that provides immediate scale to the audience.

Welcome to the sixty-second news update, bringing you the world's top stories in one minute.

The Automotive World: Car enthusiasts and reviewers constantly talk about 'zero to sixty' times. This refers to how many seconds it takes for a vehicle to accelerate from a standstill to sixty miles per hour. It is the gold standard for measuring a car's power and responsiveness.

In the kitchen, sixty is a common number for timers and temperatures (though usually in Celsius for the latter). A 'sixty-minute' bake is standard for many cakes and breads. In retail, you'll hear it during sales—'sixty percent off' is a significant discount that usually draws large crowds. In the workplace, managers might call for a 'sixty-minute brainstorm,' which is a standard duration for a focused meeting without losing the team's attention span.

The new electric car can go from zero to sixty in just three point five seconds.

Music and Rhythm: Musicians use sixty beats per minute (BPM) as a fundamental tempo reference. Since there are sixty seconds in a minute, a tempo of 60 BPM means exactly one beat every second, which is a common pace for ballads and relaxed, 'andante' pieces.

Please set the metronome to sixty so we can practice the melody slowly.

The store is offering a sixty percent discount on all winter coats today.

We have sixty units of the product left in the warehouse.

One of the most frequent errors learners make with the word sixty is confusing it with 'sixteen'. This confusion happens in both listening and speaking. In many English dialects, the '-ty' and '-teen' suffixes can sound remarkably similar if not articulated clearly. The key difference lies in word stress: 'sixty' is stressed on the first syllable (SIX-ty), while 'sixteen' is often stressed on the second syllable (six-TEEN). Misunderstanding this can lead to significant errors in transactions, time-telling, and age descriptions.

Spelling Errors: Spelling 'sixty' as 'sixtie' or 'sixtey' is common. Remember that all the 'tens' numbers from twenty to ninety end in '-ty'. Another mistake is forgetting the 'x'. While it sounds like 'sick-sty', the 'x' is essential as it is derived from 'six'.

Incorrect: I have sixtie dollars. Correct: I have sixty dollars.

Hyphenation Neglect: When writing compound numbers like sixty-five, many people forget the hyphen. In formal writing, the hyphen is required between the tens and the units. Forgetting this can make your writing look unprofessional or lead to ambiguity in technical documents.

Another common mistake involves the use of 'sixty' in plural form. When referring to the decade or an age range, it should be 'the sixties' or 'in her sixties.' Beginners often say 'she is in her sixty,' which is grammatically incorrect. You must use the plural 'sixties' to denote the span of years between 60 and 69. Additionally, when using 'sixty' as a compound adjective, remember to keep the following noun singular: 'a sixty-minute walk,' not 'a sixty-minutes walk.'

Incorrect: It was a sixty-minutes wait. Correct: It was a sixty-minute wait.

Confusion with Ordinals: Learners sometimes use 'sixty' when they mean 'sixtieth'. If you are talking about a position in a sequence or an anniversary, you must use 'sixtieth'. For example: 'It is her sixtieth birthday,' not 'It is her sixty birthday.'

Incorrect: 60 people came to the party. Correct: Sixty people came to the party.

She was born in the sixties, a time of great social change.

The recipe serves sixty guests at the wedding reception.

While sixty is the standard term for the number 60, there are several alternatives and related terms depending on the context. In older literature or biblical texts, you might encounter the term 'threescore.' A 'score' is twenty, so 'threescore' is literally three times twenty, which equals sixty. This is most famously heard in the opening of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address ('Four score and seven years ago...'). While 'threescore' is archaic, knowing it helps with reading classic English literature.

Sexagenarian: In formal or medical contexts, a person who is between sixty and sixty-nine years old is called a 'sexagenarian'. This term comes from the Latin 'sexagenarius', based on 'sexaginta', meaning sixty. It is a more sophisticated way to describe someone in their sixties.

The professor, a distinguished sexagenarian, has taught at the university for decades.

Dozens and Gross: In commerce, sixty is sometimes expressed in terms of dozens. Specifically, sixty is 'five dozen'. While less common than 'a dozen' (12) or 'a gross' (144), you might still hear 'five dozen' in wholesale markets or baking.

When comparing 'sixty' to other numbers, it is useful to look at its neighbors. 'Fifty' and 'seventy' are the most common points of comparison. In statistics, sixty is often the threshold for a 'supermajority' or a significant majority. In the context of time, 'an hour' is the most direct synonym for 'sixty minutes,' and 'a minute' is the direct synonym for 'sixty seconds.' Using these temporal units often sounds more natural in conversation than specifying the number sixty.

The meeting lasted for threescore minutes, exactly as planned by the chairperson.

Sexagesimal: This is a technical adjective describing a system of counting based on the number sixty. We still use a sexagesimal system for measuring time, angles, and geographic coordinates (degrees, minutes, seconds).

The ancient Babylonians used a sexagesimal numbering system for their astronomical calculations.

The farmer ordered five dozen eggs to be delivered to the local restaurant.

The sixtieth anniversary of the company was celebrated with a massive gala.

How Formal Is It?

Formal

"The participants were all sexagenarians."

Neutral

"The meeting will last sixty minutes."

Informal

"I'll be there in sixty."

Child friendly

"Can you count to sixty?"

Slang

"He went zero to sixty real quick."

Fun Fact

The use of sixty as a base for time comes from the Babylonians, who favored it because it is divisible by so many numbers.

Pronunciation Guide

UK /ˈsɪk.sti/

US /ˈsɪk.sti/

Primary stress is on the first syllable: SIX-ty.

Rhymes With

mixie pixie trixie fixie tipsy tricksy blitsy ditsy

Common Errors

Confusing it with sixteen (stress on the second syllable).
Dropping the 'x' sound (saying 'sisty').
Over-emphasizing the 'y' at the end.
Mumbling the 't' so it sounds like 'sixie'.
Misplacing the stress on the second syllable.

Difficulty Rating

Reading 1/5

Very easy to recognize in text.

Writing 2/5

Requires remembering the 'x' and hyphenation rules.

Speaking 3/5

Can be confused with sixteen if not stressed correctly.

Listening 3/5

Distinguishing from sixteen requires careful attention to stress.

What to Learn Next

Prerequisites

six ten fifty teen ty

Learn Next

seventy sixtieth hundred thousand million

Advanced

sexagesimal sexagenarian threescore hexagonal

Grammar to Know

Hyphenation of compound numbers

Always write sixty-one, not sixty one.

Stress for -ty vs -teen

SIX-ty (60) vs six-TEEN (16).

Pluralizing decades

The 1960s or the sixties.

Compound adjectives

A sixty-minute (singular) flight.

Capitalization at start of sentence

Sixty people attended the event.

Examples by Level

I have sixty cents in my pocket.

J'ai soixante cents dans ma poche.

Basic number usage as a determiner.

My uncle is sixty years old.

Mon oncle a soixante ans.

Used to describe age.

The bus comes in sixty minutes.

Le bus arrive dans soixante minutes.

Used for time duration.

There are sixty students in the room.

Il y a soixante étudiants dans la salle.

Plural noun follows 'sixty'.

Sixty plus ten is seventy.

Soixante plus dix font soixante-dix.

Used in basic arithmetic.

I see sixty birds in the sky.

Je vois soixante oiseaux dans le ciel.

Counting a large quantity.

The shirt costs sixty dollars.

La chemise coûte soixante dollars.

Used for price.

She lives at number sixty.

Elle habite au numéro soixante.

Used as an address number.

The speed limit on this road is sixty.

La limite de vitesse sur cette route est de soixante.

Used as a noun representing a limit.

We need sixty-five chairs for the party.

Nous avons besoin de soixante-cinq chaises pour la fête.

Note the hyphen in 'sixty-five'.

There are sixty seconds in every minute.

Il y a soixante secondes dans chaque minute.

Standard fact about time.

He walked sixty miles to raise money.

Il a marché soixante milles pour récolter des fonds.

Measurement of distance.

The temperature is sixty degrees today.

La température est de soixante degrés aujourd'hui.

Measurement of temperature.

She works sixty hours a week.

Elle travaille soixante heures par semaine.

Describing a work schedule.

The book has sixty chapters.

Le livre a soixante chapitres.

Quantifying parts of a whole.

He bought sixty eggs for the bakery.

Il a acheté soixante œufs pour la boulangerie.

Quantifying groceries.

Sixty percent of the students passed the test.

Soixante pour cent des étudiants ont réussi l'examen.

Used with percentages.

The music of the sixties was very influential.

La musique des années soixante a été très influente.

Plural 'sixties' refers to a decade.

He is in his early sixties now.

Il est au début de la soixantaine maintenant.

Refers to a person's age range.

The journey took a full sixty minutes.

Le voyage a duré soixante minutes complètes.

Emphasis on the duration.

A sixty-watt bulb is not bright enough.

Une ampoule de soixante watts n'est pas assez lumineuse.

Hyphenated compound adjective.

The company has sixty days to respond.

L'entreprise a soixante jours pour répondre.

Legal or business timeframe.

She ran the race in sixty-four seconds.

Elle a couru la course en soixante-quatre secondes.

Precise timing in sports.

The box weighs sixty kilograms.

La boîte pèse soixante kilogrammes.

Measurement of weight.

The car can accelerate to sixty in five seconds.

La voiture peut accélérer jusqu'à soixante en cinq secondes.

'Sixty' used as a noun for speed.

We agreed on a sixty-forty split of the profits.

Nous sommes tombés d'accord sur une répartition des bénéfices à soixante-quarante.

Describes a ratio.

The angle of the triangle is exactly sixty degrees.

L'angle du triangle est exactement de soixante degrés.

Geometric measurement.

The documentary is a sixty-minute deep dive.

Le documentaire est une plongée profonde de soixante minutes.

Compound adjective modifying a noun.

Sixty years of history were lost in the fire.

Soixante ans d'histoire ont été perdus dans l'incendie.

Subject of the sentence.

The poll showed sixty percent support for the law.

Le sondage a montré un soutien de soixante pour cent pour la loi.

Used in statistical reporting.

He spent his sixties traveling the world.

Il a passé la soixantaine à voyager à travers le monde.

Refers to a decade of life.

The recipe calls for sixty milliliters of oil.

La recette demande soixante millilitres d'huile.

Liquid measurement.

The sexagesimal system relies on the number sixty.

Le système sexagésimal repose sur le nombre soixante.

Academic context.

His life spanned sixty years of turbulent change.

Sa vie a couvert soixante années de changements turbulents.

Formal narrative style.

The sixty-fold increase in traffic was unexpected.

L'augmentation par soixante du trafic était inattendue.

Multiplicative adjective.

She is a vibrant sexagenarian who runs marathons.

C'est une sexagénaire dynamique qui court des marathons.

Formal term for someone in their 60s.

The clock face is divided into sixty equal parts.

Le cadran de l'horloge est divisé en soixante parties égales.

Precise technical description.

The treaty was signed sixty years ago today.

Le traité a été signé il y a soixante ans aujourd'hui.

Historical reference.

We need to maintain a sixty-hertz frequency.

Nous devons maintenir une fréquence de soixante hertz.

Scientific unit of measurement.

The poem mentions 'threescore' years of toil.

Le poème mentionne « soixante » années de labeur.

Literary synonym for sixty.

The architectural symmetry was based on a sixty-degree grid.

La symétrie architecturale était basée sur une grille de soixante degrés.

High-level technical precision.

Sixty, as a highly composite number, offers vast utility.

Soixante, en tant que nombre hautement composé, offre une vaste utilité.

Mathematical analysis.

The societal shifts of the sixties are still debated.

Les changements sociétaux des années soixante font encore débat.

Abstract historical concept.

He reached the sixtieth floor of the skyscraper.

Il a atteint le soixantième étage du gratte-ciel.

Ordinal form related to sixty.

The resolution was passed with a sixty-vote majority.

La résolution a été adoptée à une majorité de soixante voix.

Precise political quantification.

The engine's sixty-kilowatt output is impressive.

La puissance de soixante kilowatts du moteur est impressionnante.

Engineering specification.

The manuscript dates back sixty decades.

Le manuscrit remonte à soixante décennies.

Using 'sixty' with 'decades' for 600 years.

The sixty-second mark proved to be the turning point.

La marque des soixante secondes s'est avérée être le tournant.

Temporal noun phrase.

Common Collocations

sixty minutes

sixty seconds

sixty percent

sixty degrees

sixty miles per hour

sixty years old

sixty dollars

top sixty

sixty-watt bulb

sixty-day period

Common Phrases

Zero to sixty

— The time it takes for a car to reach 60 mph; also used to describe someone getting angry quickly.

His temper goes from zero to sixty in seconds.

Sixty-forty split

— A distribution where one side gets 60% and the other 40%.

We agreed on a sixty-forty split of the chores.

The sixties

— Refers to the 1960s or the years of a person's life from 60 to 69.

Fashion in the sixties was very colorful.

Sixty-minute man

— An athlete who plays the entire game without a break (often in older sports contexts).

He was known as a sixty-minute man on the field.

Sixty-plus

— People who are older than sixty years.

This club is for the sixty-plus community.

Sixty-fold

— Sixty times as much or as many.

The population grew sixty-fold.

Sixty-something

— An informal way to describe someone whose age is in the sixties but the exact year is unknown.

A sixty-something gentleman helped me with my bags.

Sixty-degree weather

— Mild weather, usually referring to Fahrenheit.

It's perfect sixty-degree weather for a hike.

Sixty-cycle hum

— A low-frequency noise caused by alternating current in electrical systems.

The amplifier had a noticeable sixty-cycle hum.

Sixty-day notice

— A formal warning given sixty days before an action takes place.

I gave my sixty-day notice before moving out.

Often Confused With

sixty vs sixteen

The most common confusion; 16 vs 60.

sixty vs sixth

The ordinal number (6th) vs the cardinal (60).

sixty vs six

The single digit (6) vs the tens (60).

Idioms & Expressions

"Zero to sixty"

— To go from a state of rest or calm to high speed or intense emotion very quickly.

When he mentioned the bill, her anger went from zero to sixty.

informal

"Sixty-four dollar question"

— The most important or difficult question to answer in a situation.

Whether we can afford the move is the sixty-four dollar question.

informal

"Like it's the sixties"

— To act in a free-spirited or rebellious way reminiscent of the 1960s.

They were dancing in the street like it's the sixties.

casual

"Sixty seconds of fame"

— A very brief period of being noticed or famous (variation of 'fifteen minutes of fame').

He had his sixty seconds of fame on the local news.

informal

"Sixty-forty chance"

— A situation where one outcome is slightly more likely than the other.

There is a sixty-forty chance that it will rain tomorrow.

neutral

"Top of the sixty"

— Rarely used, but can refer to being at the peak of a 60-unit measurement.

He was at the top of the sixty-minute mark.

technical

"Sixty-minute warning"

— A final alert given one hour before an event.

The sixty-minute warning for the launch has been issued.

formal

"Sixty-cent solution"

— A cheap or simple fix to a problem.

That's a sixty-cent solution to a million-dollar problem.

idiomatic

"Sixty-watt brain"

— An insulting way to say someone is not very bright (dim).

He's got a sixty-watt brain in a hundred-watt world.

slang

"Sixty-fold increase"

— A dramatic and massive expansion.

The profits saw a sixty-fold increase this year.

formal

Easily Confused

sixty vs sixteen

Similar sound and spelling.

Sixteen is 16; sixty is 60. The stress is on the 'teen' for 16 and on 'six' for 60.

She is sixteen years old, but her grandmother is sixty.

sixty vs sixtieth

Related form.

Sixty is the amount; sixtieth is the position in a sequence.

He was the sixtieth person in line for sixty tickets.

sixty vs sixth

Both start with 'six'.

Sixth is 1/6 or position 6; sixty is the number 60.

The sixth minute of the sixty-minute game.

sixty vs six

Root word.

Six is a single digit; sixty is ten times that amount.

I have six apples, but he has sixty.

sixty vs seventy

Next tens number.

Sixty is 60; seventy is 70.

He is sixty, and his brother is seventy.

Sentence Patterns

I have [number] [noun].

I have sixty pens.

There are [number] [noun] in [noun].

There are sixty minutes in an hour.

[Number] percent of [noun] are [adjective].

Sixty percent of the books are new.

A [number]-[unit] [noun].

A sixty-mile trip.

[Noun] increased [number]-fold.

The value increased sixty-fold.

The [adjective] [noun] of the [number]s.

The cultural revolution of the sixties.

He is [number] years old.

He is sixty years old.

In one's [number]s.

She is in her sixties.

Word Family

Nouns

Adjectives

How to Use It

frequency

Extremely high in daily conversation, particularly regarding time.

Common Mistakes

I am sixteen years old (when they are 60). → I am sixty years old.
Confusing 16 and 60 is a very common pronunciation and listening error.
sixty one → sixty-one
Compound numbers must be hyphenated in English writing.
a sixty-minutes walk → a sixty-minute walk
When a number and noun act as an adjective, the noun stays singular.
in my sixty → in my sixties
To refer to an age range, you must use the plural form 'sixties'.
60 people attended. → Sixty people attended.
Do not start a sentence with a numeral; write the word out.

Tips

Remember the X

Don't forget the 'x' in sixty. It comes from the word 'six'.

Stress the Start

Always stress the first syllable: SIX-ty. This prevents confusion with sixteen.

Hyphenate Compounds

Always use a hyphen for numbers like sixty-one through sixty-nine.

Time Connection

Associate sixty with a clock. 60 seconds = 1 minute, 60 minutes = 1 hour.

Formal Writing

Write out 'sixty' in words for formal documents instead of using '60'.

The Sixties

Use 'the sixties' to refer to the decade from 1960 to 1969.

Divisibility

Remember sixty is easy to divide by 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Context Clues

If someone is talking about a speed limit on a highway, they probably mean sixty, not sixteen.

Diamond Anniversary

Sixty years of marriage is a very special 'Diamond' celebration.

Six Tens

The '-ty' suffix always means 'tens'. So sixty is literally 'six tens'.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of 'SIX' and add 'TY' (which sounds like 'ten-y'). So, six-tens-y equals sixty.

Visual Association

Imagine a clock face. The full circle represents sixty minutes or sixty seconds.

Word Web

time minute second age six sixties sixtieth degree

Challenge

Try to count backwards from sixty to zero as fast as you can without stumbling.

Word Origin

Derived from Old English 'sixtig', which comes from 'six' (six) + '-tig' (group of ten).

Original meaning: Literally 'six tens' or 'six groups of ten'.

Germanic (Indo-European).

Cultural Context

Be careful when discussing age; some people may be sensitive about turning sixty.

Turning 60 is a major birthday milestone, often celebrated with a large party.

60 Minutes (TV Show) Gone in 60 Seconds (Movie) The Sixties (Historical Era)

Practice in Real Life

Real-World Contexts

Timekeeping

sixty seconds
sixty minutes
top of the hour
quarter past

Age

sixty years old
in her sixties
retirement age
sixtieth birthday

Math

sixty degrees
sixty percent
divided by sixty
sixty-fold

Driving

sixty miles per hour
zero to sixty
speed limit sixty
sixty kilometers

Shopping

sixty dollars
sixty percent off
sixty cents
sixty units

Conversation Starters

"Did you know there are exactly sixty seconds in a minute?"

"What do you think is the best thing about being sixty years old?"

"Can you imagine driving a car that goes from zero to sixty in two seconds?"

"What was the most famous song from the sixties in your country?"

"If you had sixty minutes of free time right now, what would you do?"

Journal Prompts

Write about a person you know who is in their sixties. What have they taught you?

Describe what you would do if you were given sixty thousand dollars today.

Reflect on how the world has changed in the last sixty years.

Imagine a day where an hour only had thirty minutes instead of sixty. How would your life change?

Write a short story that takes place exactly sixty years in the future.

Frequently Asked Questions

10 questions

It is spelled 'sixty'. It contains the word 'six' followed by the suffix '-ty'. For example: 'I have sixty dollars.'

The correct spelling is 'sixty'. Words for tens in English always end in '-ty'. For example: twenty, thirty, sixty.

Yes, all compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine require a hyphen when written as words. For example: 'sixty-five', 'sixty-nine'.

Sixty is 60, and sixteen is 16. In speech, sixty is stressed on the first syllable (SIX-ty), while sixteen is stressed on the second (six-TEEN).

It means a person is between the ages of 60 and 69. For example: 'My father is in his sixties.'

This comes from the ancient Babylonian sexagesimal system, which used 60 as a base because it is easily divisible. For example: 'An hour has sixty minutes.'

A 60th anniversary is known as a Diamond Anniversary. For example: 'They celebrated their sixty-year diamond anniversary.'

No, sixty is a composite number. It can be divided by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, 30, and 60. For example: 'Sixty is a highly composite number.'

In Roman numerals, sixty is written as LX. 'L' represents 50 and 'X' represents 10. For example: 'Chapter LX of the book.'

Threescore is an old way of saying sixty (3 times 20). It is mostly found in literature like the Bible. For example: 'Threescore and ten years.'