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For situations in which you need to spell out large numbers in a compound...

Which of the four options would you say is correct?

example 1

  • a five-hundred-page book
  • a five-hundred page book
  • a five hundred-page book
  • a five hundred page book

example 2

  • a ten-thousand-yen bill
  • a ten-thousand yen bill
  • a ten thousand-yen bill
  • a ten thousand yen bill

My understanding is it would be the first option for each. A five-hundred-page book (a book that has five hundred pages) vs five hundred-page books (five books that have a hundred pages each). A ten-thousand-yen bill (a single note worth ten thousand yen) vs ten thousand-yen bills (ten notes each worth a thousand yen). I've scoured the internet for anything on this matter, but none of the sites I've found ever give an example along these lines. (They just say things like "five hundred houses" and "ten thousand hamsters," etc.)

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  • Yes, if forced to use words. Are you not permitted to use digits? – Yosef Baskin May 12 '22 at 00:40
  • From what I understand, the Chicago Manual of Style recommends spelling out multiples of a hundred, thousand, and hundred thousand. ("There were thirty-two thousand people and eight hundred dogs in attendance.") – reset tears May 12 '22 at 00:53
  • You haven't actually written a question. What exactly are you asking? – Steve Bennett May 12 '22 at 01:53
  • Which of the four options would you say is correct? – reset tears May 12 '22 at 02:21
  • I'd make it clear that [ten thousand yen] [bill] is the intended reading, and not [ten thousand] [yen bill] or [ten thousand] [yen] [bill] say. We say pound note and dollar bill, with the denomination (here, the premodifier) unitary. This is effected by << a five-hundred-page book >> and << a ten-thousand-yen bill >>, although some stress the closer bond of the numeral by using a dash for the looser bond (dashes speak more of separation): << a five-hundred–page book >>. – Edwin Ashworth May 12 '22 at 11:35
  • Not quite, they unfortunately do not give any examples in which the number is two words (five hundred, ten thousand, etc). They confirm "hundred-meter race" but I'm curious if "two-hundred-meter race" (with a hyphen between two and hundred) would be appropriate. – reset tears May 12 '22 at 14:02

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