Skill: Read decimals to thousandths

A decimal has place values to the right of the decimal point:

• 1st place: tenths
• 2nd place: hundredths
• 3rd place: thousandths

To read a decimal through thousandths:

1. Read the whole-number part.
2. Say “and.”
3. Read all the digits after the decimal as one whole number.
4. Name the place value of the last digit.

Example: Read $(4.305)$

1. The digit before the decimal is $4$, so read four.
2. Say and.
3. The digits after the decimal are $(305)$. Read them as three hundred five.
4. The last digit is in the thousandths place, so say thousandths.

Therefore,

$$4.305=\text{four and three hundred five thousandths}.$$

The zero is important because it holds the hundredths place. You may also read $(4.305)$ as four point three zero five.