What does tenth mean?
Tenth is the ordinal number associated with ten, identifying the position immediately after ninth in a sequence. It commonly appears in dates, as in “the tenth of May,” and in rankings, where it may refer to a person, object, team, or place. The word also functions as a noun meaning one of ten equal parts, producing expressions such as “a tenth of the vote” or “one-tenth of the total.” As an adverb, it can indicate the position occupied in a competition or list: “The runner finished tenth.” Although its basic meaning is highly familiar, tenth illustrates how English ordinal numbers preserve older grammatical patterns while remaining useful in modern English. It can convey rank without implying whether that rank is desirable, and the fractional sense turns an abstract cardinal number into a proportional unit.
Denoting the member of a sequence that comes after the ninth.
"The tenth chapter introduces the central conflict."
The adjective is neutral in register and is common in dates, sequences, rankings, and measurements.
The position or rank occupied by the tenth member of a sequence; also, one of ten equal parts of a whole.
"She earned a tenth of the prize money."
The plural “tenths” is used for multiple positions or fractional quantities.
In tenth position or at tenth place.
"The novel ranked tenth for three consecutive weeks."
This use is especially common in rankings and competition results.
Used for several ordinal positions or quantities, particularly when referring to fractional parts.
"Her score improved by three tenths of a point."
Tenth is where the inherited count word ten meets the Germanic ordinal ending -th, turning a quantity into a position.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does tenth come from?
“Tenth” comes from the Old English ordinal tēonaþ, which developed from the Proto-Germanic ordinal *tehunþą, based on the cardinal *tehun, meaning “ten.” It is cognate with Dutch tiende and German Zehnte and preserves the inherited Germanic ordinal ending seen in words such as “fifth” and “twelfth.” The separate noun sense meaning “one of ten equal parts” developed from the established ordinal form.
Related word forms
How tenth is actually used
“Tenth” is neutral in register and is used in formal writing, conversation, dates, rankings, measurements, and financial reporting. In rankings it identifies a position in a sequence, while in phrases such as “a tenth of” it denotes one of ten equal parts.
Easily confused with tenth
“Ten” is the cardinal number counting from one to ten, whereas “tenth” identifies the next position after nine.