500 in Roman numerals
500 is written D. D is a letter of its own.
The answer
D
500 in Roman numerals is D.
How D is built
500 has a letter of its own, D. It is one of the two letters children meet in Year 5, when the national curriculum moves on from reading numerals to 100 to reading them to 1,000.
| 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 |
The mistake to watch for
Writing 500 as M
Wrong: M
D and M both arrive in Year 5, so they are easy to mix up. D is 500 and M is 1,000, so writing M for 500 doubles it. D is half of M, just as V is half of X and L is half of C.
Reading years in Roman numerals
Year 5 children also learn to recognise years written in Roman numerals, on foundation stones, old buildings and film credits. Split the year into thousands, hundreds, tens and ones, and write each part.
1066, the year of the Battle of Hastings, is M (1,000) + LXVI (66) = MLXVI. There are no hundreds, and with no zero there is nothing to write for them.
Up to 100, the Roman numerals chart has every number, and the converter there checks each step.
Keep going
Questions parents ask
What is 500 in Roman numerals?
500 is D.
What comes before and after D?
499 is CDXCIX and 501 is DI. The whole numeral changes: CDXCIX becomes D.
Does D use subtraction?
No. D is a single letter, so there is nothing to take away.
What is the biggest letter in D?
D, which is 500. D is a single letter.
Where might you see D?
In years written in Roman numerals: 1500 is MD, with D standing for the 500.
When do children learn D?
In Year 5. The national curriculum asks Year 5 children to read Roman numerals to 1,000 (M) and to recognise years written in Roman numerals. Year 4 stops at 100 (C).
Careful reading is an 11+ skill
Knowing D is 500 at a glance is the quick recall 11+ papers reward. The free diagnostic covers all four subjects, with no card needed.