sixteenth

sixteenth — adjective

1. coming straight after the fifteenth item in a series, list, or sequence — for ex

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

coming straight after the fifteenth item in a series, list, or sequence — for example, the sixteenth person to arrive, or a runner placed sixteenth in a race.

Example

Obi celebrated his sixteenth birthday with a big family dinner at a local restaurant.

common collocation: sixteenth birthday

The office is on the sixteenth floor of the new tower near the train station.

Common collocations
  • sixteenth birthday
  • sixteenth century
  • sixteenth floor
  • sixteenth chapter

Grammar Patterns

the + sixteenth + noun

possessive + sixteenth + noun

Usage Note

Always placed before the noun it describes, like other ordinal numbers (first, second, third). Common in dates, floors, birthdays, and rankings.

Common Mistakes

She came sixteenthth in the competition.
She came sixteenth in the competition.
'sixteenth' already ends with '-th'; do not add another.
This is my sixteen birthday.
This is my sixteenth birthday.
use the ordinal form, not the cardinal number.

2. describing one of the sixteen equal parts that a whole amount or object is split

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing one of the sixteen equal parts that a whole amount or object is split into — used when talking about a share, portion, or measurement.

Example

Darius received a sixteenth share of the company profits after the deal closed.

adjective + noun: sixteenth share

The recipe calls for a sixteenth cup of sugar and a pinch of salt.

Common collocations
  • sixteenth share
  • sixteenth portion
  • sixteenth slice

Grammar Patterns

a + sixteenth + noun

Common Mistakes

She ate a sixteenth cake.
She ate a sixteenth of the cake.
as an adjective describing a fraction, 'sixteenth' needs a clear unit noun after it (share, portion, slice).

sixteenth — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These three words are commonly confused by learners because of their similar sound and spelling. 'Sixteenth' (B1) is an ordinal number that marks a specific position in a sequence of sixteen or more items — 'the sixteenth floor', 'her sixteenth birthday'. 'Sixteen' (A1) is a cardinal number that indicates quantity — 'there are sixteen students in the class'. 'Sixth' (A2) is a different ordinal altogether, meaning position number 6, not 16. A learner who writes 'sixteen floor' instead of 'sixteenth floor' has used the wrong number type; one who writes 'sixth floor' when they mean 'sixteenth floor' has confused two different numbers entirely.

sixteenth ↗sixteen ↗sixth ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed by adding the suffix '-th' (which creates ordinal numbers) to 'sixteen'. The word 'sixteen' comes from Old English 'sixtēne', a combination of 'six' and 'tēn' (ten). The ordinal suffix '-th' has been used since Old English times in words like 'fēorða' (fourth) and 'seofoða' (seventh). 'Sixteenth' has been recorded in English since the early 1300s.