sixteenth

American  

[siks-teenth] / ˈsɪksˈtinθ /

adjective

1. next after the fifteenth; being the ordinal number for 16.

2. being one of 16 equal parts.

---

noun

• sixteenths
  plural

1. a sixteenth part, especially of one (1/16).

2. the sixteenth member of a series.

3. Music. sixteenth note.

sixteenth British  

/ ˈsɪksˈtiːnθ /

adjective

1. (usually prenominal)

   1. coming after the fifteenth in numbering or counting order, position, time, etc; being the ordinal number of sixteen: often written 16th

   2. ( as noun )

      the sixteenth of the month

---

noun

1. 1. one of 16 equal or nearly equal parts of something

   2. ( as modifier )

      a sixteenth part

2. the fraction that is equal to one divided by 16 ( 1/ 16 )

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sixteenths
  plural

Etymology

Origin of sixteenth

before 900; Middle English sixtenthe ( see sixteen, -th ²); replacing Middle English sixtenthe, sixtethe, Old English sixtēotha ( see tithe)

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sixteenth sixteenths

Indeed, Spanish steel might have conquered the New World in the sixteenth century, but its long rule over that vast region was facilitated by the appeal of a shared Christian religion.

From Salon ● May 28, 2025

The biggest technical reason is the race is a sixteenth of a mile shorter than the Derby.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2025

He continued: "These eagles are a part of our heritage, they have been absent since the sixteenth century and I would personally love to see eagles returning to Wales."

From BBC ● Jan. 6, 2024

Artisan is Bayer’s sixteenth biggest investor, according to Refinitiv data.

From Reuters ● Aug. 25, 2023

I’d been studying the rules of the road all summer, and my sixteenth birthday had passed two weeks before.

From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King

So you would divide your portfolio into sixteenths and spend one of them this year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

The Preakness distance is 1 3-16 miles, a sixteenth of a mile shorter than the Kentucky Derby, and five sixteenths shorter than the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes, called the Test of the Champion.

From Seattle Times ● May 18, 2013

The 2001 switch to decimal share pricing, from sixteenths of a dollar, allowed any firm willing to sell for a penny less than the best available price to step in and make the trade.

From BusinessWeek ● Feb. 10, 2011

One yellow and grey painting has a pattern of grids, some of which are quartered, some cut to sixteenths, and so on.

From Time Magazine Archive

Then she copied the list onto a piece of loose-leaf paper and folded it in half, then in quarters, then in eighths, then in sixteenths.

From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio