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In Belgium and Switzerland, what simpler French word is used for 70?

Septante means 70 in Belgium and Switzerland.

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  1. Septante ✔
  2. Sept cents
  3. Soixante

Why: Belgium and Switzerland say septante for 70 and nonante for 90, instead of soixante-dix and quatre-vingt-dix. Sept cents is 700 and soixante is 60.

Huh, didn't know that: Nonante, for 90, is used in Belgium and French-speaking Switzerland too.

The dad joke
Why do Swiss watches count so fast? They skip the sixty-ten and go straight to septante.
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References

Answer: Septante. Belgium and Switzerland say septante for 70 and nonante for 90, instead of soixante-dix and quatre-vingt-dix. Sept cents is 700 and soixante is 60.

  1. Larousse dictionnaire de français: septante www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais/septante
    En Belgique et en Suisse, soixante-dix.
    Checked 2026-10-12.
  2. Larousse dictionnaire de français: nonante www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais/nonante
    Quatre-vingt-dix, en Suisse romande et en Belgique.
    Checked 2026-10-12.

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LanguagesIn France, how do you say the number 70?LanguagesIn France, how do you say the number 90?LanguagesIn France, what number is quatre-vingts?

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