Most of us are pretty confident with what to call numbers that end with three or six zeroes. After that, things can get a little fuzzy.

Part of the problem arises from the fact that some cultures use different names for the same number. English and Arabic-speaking countries tend to use the Short Scale, while Latin and continental Europe is enamored with the Long Scale. See this article for further explanation.

If we limit our discussion to the Short Scale, the following is the nomenclature for the primary sets of numbers:

Of course, once you get too far down this list, things become theoretical. Even so, that did not stop one man from trying to sue for $2 undecillion.

There are between 10⁷⁸ to 10⁸²atoms in the observable universe. That’s between a quinvigintillionten and ten sexvigintillion atoms. As inconceivable as that number may be, an even larger number (the Shannon Number) is needed to describe the number of possible moves in a game of chess.