What Is 67 in French? the Surprising Logic Behind 'Soixante-Sept' Explained
By Sarah Jenkins
Punctuation in the French number system underwent a formal overhaul that still sparks minor disputes among editors.
Traditionally, the Académie Française mandated hyphens strictly between compound elements under 100, provided they were not already linked by et. Under this traditional standard:
• 67 was written as soixante-sept (hyphenated).
• 61 was written as soixante et un (no hyphens).
• 167 was written as cent soixante-sept (hyphen only between the tens and units).
In December 1990, the French Superior Council of the French Language (Conseil supérieur de la langue française) introduced the rectifications orthographiques. This reform established that all numerical components forming a complex cardinal number should connect via hyphens, without exception.
Under the 1990 rules, "one hundred sixty-seven" shifts from cent soixante-sept to cent-soixante-sept. For isolated sixty-seven, however, the rule produced zero disruption. Whether operating under strict 18th-century guidelines or the modernized 1990 criteria, soixante-sept requires a hyphen. Omitting it to write soixante sept is universally marked incorrect on formal examinations and official state documents.
Sarah Jenkins is a veteran tech journalist with over 12 years of experience covering artificial intelligence, mobile innovations, and digital ethics. Her insights have appeared in leading technology publications worldwide.
