What calendar year, when written using traditional Roman Numerals, has the most digits?

There are 13 digits in the year 1888. In roman numerals, it is written as MDCCCLXXXVIII. The next year that also will have 13 digits is 2388, and will be surpassed in 2888 with 14 characters.

Roman numerals are a 2000 year old numbering system, where letters are used to replace numbers and can be combined to create any number. Each symbol has a corresponding number, I=1, V=5, X=10, L=50, C=100 D=500 M=1000. When written in roman numerals, 1888 translates to

• M = 1000

• DCCC = 800

• LXXX = 80

• VIII = 8

The longest number using traditional roman numerals is 3,888.

More Info: www.calculatorsoup.com

Test your knowledge

What are your thoughts on this subject?

45 Comments

Jacqueline Tattam

williamrlaughlin, I took it to mean ‘out of these options’...

Fran Donnelly

silrem, Romans used their hands as numbers. If you part your thumb from the rest of the fingers it gives a 'V' shape= 5. If you put a V on top of an upside down V if gives you 10. Make a letter C with your hand = 100 as in C for century. Hold your left hand erect and stick out the thumb to make an L shape =50 and so on. Clever people the Romans. I hope I've explained this OK.

Terence Allan Kettle

Roman multiplication is fun ?

Player beach hut

If one says the year one thousand eight hundred and eighty eight that's true. On the other hand, if one says eighteen eighty eight it would be XVIII VIII VIII - so only ten letters ( I'm kidding, don't worry)

Coral Harvey

Fran Donnelly, you have explained it so clearly for us all thank you ! I'm studying Latin moment but never realised this . Makes perfect sense.

Chrissie

This seems to be a very old answer, if "Roman numerals are a 2000 year old numbering system" - they are first known to have been used between 900 BC and 800 BC, which makes it now a nearly 3000 year old system.

Chrissie

silrem, because it's half a thousand! Originally, the Greek letter phi — Φ — represented 1000 It was sometimes represented as a C, I and backwards C, thus: CIƆ — which sort of looks like an M So, the symbol for 500 was originally IƆ — half of CIƆ If you write it quickly the I and Ɔ become closer, until they look like a D