fifteen

[ fif-teen ]

noun

1. a cardinal number, ten plus five.
2. a symbol for this number, as 15 or XV.
3. a set of this many persons or things.

adjective

1. amounting to 15 in number.

fifteen

¹

/ ˈfɪfˈtiːn /

noun

1. the cardinal number that is the sum of ten and five
2. a numeral, 15, XV, etc, representing this number
3. something represented by, representing, or consisting of 15 units
4. a rugby union football team

determiner

1. 1. amounting to fifteen

      fifteen jokes

   2. ( as pronoun )

      fifteen of us danced

Fifteen

²

/ ˈfɪfˈtiːn /

noun

1. the Fifteen
   the Fifteen history the Jacobite rising of 1715

Word History and Origins

Origin of fifteen¹

before 900; Middle English, Old English fiftene. See five, -teen

Word History and Origins

Origin of fifteen¹

Old English fīftēne

Example Sentences

Bob Cratchit, the clerk who is the father of Tiny Tim and who meekly serves Scrooge, is paid fifteen shillings a week.

From The Daily Beast

Fifteen people were killed, more than 200 were injured, and more than 300 families lost their homes.

From The Daily Beast

It took me fifteen minutes to fill a thick black Hefty bag with papers and computer parts.

From The Daily Beast

Fifteen years later, the same communities had returned for the annual celebration, as most had year after year.

From The Daily Beast

Fifteen years after its last execution, Pennsylvania is finding it difficult to fire up its death machine again.

From The Daily Beast

General Santa Anna is within a mile of us with fifteen hundred men.

From Project Gutenberg

At twelve, or fifteen, or sixteen, or twenty it was decided that they should stop learning.

From Project Gutenberg

At this period it brought enormous prices, the finest selling at from fifteen to eighteen shillings per pound.

From Project Gutenberg

In these rooms male and female alike were confined, at one time to the number of fifteen; each being allowed 3d.

From Project Gutenberg

The office of clerk of the court is about to be sold, having been placed at fifteen hundred pesos.

From Project Gutenberg

How Do You Spell Fifteen?

Spelling tips for fifteen

The word fifteen is hard to spell because it doesn’t simply combine the spelling of the base number, five, with the suffix -teen, as is done in other easy-to-remember spellings like fourteen and sixteen.  

How to spell fifteen: When five is combined with suffixes, the ve is turned into an f: fifteen (not fiveteen), fifty (not fivety), and fifth (not fiveth). Remember: there’s no v in fifteen.