Roman numerals 1 to 100
Pick a number to see its Roman numeral, how it is built and the mistake to watch for, or use the converter to check any number to 100.
Roman numerals converter
Read any numeral up to C, or write any number from 1 to 100. Every step is shown, and a wrong numeral gets the rule it breaks.
A converter that reads any Roman numeral to C, or writes any number from 1 to 100, and shows every step.
Roman numerals chart 1 to 100
Read it in rows of ten: once 1 to 10 make sense, every row is the same shape with a tens part in front.
The seven letters and three rules
| Letter | Worth | Met in |
|---|---|---|
| I | 1 | Year 3 |
| V | 5 | Year 3 |
| X | 10 | Year 3 |
| L | 50 | Year 4 |
| C | 100 | Year 4 |
| D | 500 | Year 5 |
| M | 1,000 | Year 5 |
- Read left to right and add. LXVI is 50 + 10 + 5 + 1 = 66.
- A smaller letter before a bigger one is taken away. IX is 10 take away 1, which is 9. Up to 100 there are only four of these pairs: IV (4), IX (9), XL (40) and XC (90).
- Never write the same letter four times in a row, and never repeat V, L or D. 4 is IV, not IIII, and 40 is XL, not XXXX. Two fives make a ten, so 10 is X, never VV.
To write a number, split it into tens and ones first. 49 is 40 and 9, so XL and IX: XLIX, never IL.
Bigger numbers
D and M come in Year 5, when children read numerals to 1,000 and recognise years.
Read more
Numbers to 100 have their own pages too: factors of every number from 2 to 100.
Questions parents ask
What are the seven Roman numeral letters?
I is 1, V is 5, X is 10, L is 50, C is 100, D is 500 and M is 1,000. Year 4 reads numerals to 100, so it uses I, V, X, L and C. D and M come in Year 5.
What are the rules for reading Roman numerals?
Read left to right and add. If a smaller letter comes before a bigger one, take it away: up to 100 there are only four of these pairs, IV (4), IX (9), XL (40) and XC (90). And never write the same letter four times in a row, or V, L or D twice.
Is 4 IV or IIII?
4 is IV. Some clock faces show IIII, which is a clockmaker's tradition, but the rule children learn is never four of the same letter in a row.
Why is there no zero in Roman numerals?
The Romans had no symbol for zero and no place value, so there were no columns to keep empty. That is part of why the curriculum teaches them: comparing them with our digits shows why zero and place value matter.
Careful reading is an 11+ skill
Roman numerals reward reading every symbol in order, the same care 11+ maths and reasoning questions need. The free diagnostic checks maths, English and both kinds of reasoning, and shows what to practise next. No card is required.