Meanings
alternative 16 · alternative XVI
- The cardinal number occurring after fifteen and before seventeen, represented in Arabic numerals as 16 and in Roman numerals as XVI.
Venters began to count them—one—two—three—four—on up to sixteen.
1912 January, Zane Grey, chapter 8, in Riders of the Purple Sage […], New York, N.Y.; London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, →OCLC1 more example
They'd spent one evening together sixteen months ago, and Falk was acutely aware that he'd probably airbrushed and edited at least some of it without meaning to.
2022, Jane Harper, Exiles, page 287
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*sehstehun
- Old Englishsixtīene
- Middle Englishsextene
- Englishsixteen
Inherited from Middle English sextene, sixtene, from Old English sixtīene, from Proto-Germanic *sehstehun. Cognate with West Frisian sechstjin, Dutch zestien, German sechzehn, Danish seksten. Equivalent to six + -teen.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans sestien
- sestiencardinal number 16
Ancient Greek ἑκκαίδεκα, ιϛ΄
- ἑκκαίδεκα (hekkaídeka)cardinal number 16
- ιϛ΄cardinal number 16
Arabic سِتَّةَ عَشَرَ
- سِتَّةَ عَشَرَ (sittata ʕašara)cardinal number 16
Basque hamasei
- hamaseicardinal number 16
Bengali সোলো
- সোলো (śōlō)cardinal number 16
Bulgarian шестна́десет, шестна́йсет
- шестна́десет (šestnádeset)cardinal number 16
- шестна́йсет (šestnájset)cardinal number 16
Catalan setze
- setzecardinal number 16
Chinese Cantonese 十六
- 十六 (sap⁶ luk⁶)cardinal number 16
Chinese Mandarin 十六
- 十六 (shíliù)cardinal number 16
Czech šestnáct
- šestnáctcardinal number 16
Danish seksten
- sekstencardinal number 16
Dutch zestien
- zestiencardinal number 16
Esperanto dek ses
- dek sescardinal number 16
Estonian kuusteist
- kuusteistcardinal number 16
Finnish kuusitoista
- kuusitoistacardinal number 16
French seize
- seizecardinal number 16
German sechzehn
- sechzehncardinal number 16
Greek δεκαέξι
- δεκαέξι (dekaéxi)cardinal number 16
Hawaiian ʻumikūmāono
- ʻumikūmāonocardinal number 16
Hebrew שֵׁשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה, שישה עשר \ שִׁשָּׁה עָשָׂר
- שֵׁשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה (shesh esré)cardinal number 16
- שישה עשר \ שִׁשָּׁה עָשָׂר (shishá asár)cardinal number 16
Hindi सोलह
- सोलह (solah)cardinal number 16
Hungarian tizenhat
- tizenhatcardinal number 16
Icelandic sextán
- sextáncardinal number 16
Indonesian enam belas
- enam belascardinal number 16
Irish sé déag
- sé déagcardinal number 16
Italian sedici
- sedicicardinal number 16
Japanese 十六
- 十六 (jūroku)cardinal number 16
Korean 열여섯, 십육
- 열여섯 (yeoryeoseot)cardinal number 16
- 십육 (simnyuk)cardinal number 16
- 십륙 (simnyuk)cardinal number 16
Latin sēdecim
- sēdecimcardinal number 16
Latvian sešpadsmit
- sešpadsmitcardinal number 16
Lithuanian sešiolika
- sešiolikacardinal number 16
Malay enam belas, sepuluh enam
- enam belascardinal number 16
- sepuluh enamcardinal number 16
- satu puluh enamcardinal number 16
Māori tekau mā ono
- tekau mā onocardinal number 16
Norwegian seksten
- sekstencardinal number 16
Persian شانزده
- شانزده (šânzdah)cardinal number 16
Polish szesnaście, szesnaścioro
- szesnaściecardinal number 16
- szesnaściorocardinal number 16
Portuguese dezasseis, dezesseis
- dezasseiscardinal number 16
- dezesseiscardinal number 16
Punjabi ਸੋਲਾਂ
- ਸੋਲਾਂ (solā̃)cardinal number 16
Romanian șaisprezece, șaișpe
- șaisprezececardinal number 16
- șaișpecardinal number 16
Russian шестна́дцать
- шестна́дцать (šestnádcatʹ)cardinal number 16
Scottish Gaelic sia-deug
- sia-deugcardinal number 16
Slovak šestnásť
- šestnásťcardinal number 16
Spanish dieciséis m sece
- dieciséis m sececardinal number 16
Swahili kumi na sita
- kumi na sitacardinal number 16
Swedish sexton
- sextoncardinal number 16
Tagalog labing-anim
- labing-animcardinal number 16
Tamil பதினாறு
- பதினாறு (patiṉāṟu)cardinal number 16
Thai สิบหก
- สิบหก (sìp-hòk)cardinal number 16
Turkish on altı
- on altıcardinal number 16
Ukrainian шістна́дцять
- шістна́дцять (šistnádcjatʹ)cardinal number 16
Urdu سولہ
- سولہ (solah)cardinal number 16
Vietnamese mười sáu
- mười sáucardinal number 16
Welsh un ar bymtheg, un deg chwech
- un ar bymthegcardinal number 16
- un deg chwechcardinal number 16
Yiddish זעכצן
- זעכצן (zekhtsn)cardinal number 16
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with sixteen
Cite this entry
sixteen. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sixteen
“sixteen.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sixteen. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sixteen,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sixteen.
Source: sixteen on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.