die  Billion

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/bɪˈli̯oːn/

🔢 What Exactly is a 'Billion'?

Die Billion is a number word in German and refers to the number 1,000,000,000,000 (one followed by twelve zeros), i.e., 10¹².

It is a feminine noun, so the article is always die.

🚨 Important Note (False Friend): In German, die Billion means one trillion (in English usage, both US and increasingly UK). It differs significantly from the American English meaning of "billion", which denotes only one thousand million (10⁹). This difference arises from the "long scale" (used in Germany and traditionally in the UK) versus the "short scale" (used in the US and commonly now in the UK).

• German Billion = 10¹² = one trillion (English) = Tausend Milliarden (German)
• American billion = 10⁹ = one thousand million (English) = die Milliarde (German)

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar of 'die Billion' in Detail

The noun "Billion" is feminine. Here is its declension:

Example Sentences

1. Die Staatsverschuldung beträgt mehrere Billionen Euro.
   (The national debt amounts to several trillion euros.)
2. Nach Schätzungen gibt es über eine Billion Sterne allein in unserer Galaxie.
   (According to estimates, there are over a trillion stars in our galaxy alone.)
3. Der Wert des Unternehmens wird auf eine halbe Billion geschätzt.
   (The company's value is estimated at half a trillion.)
4. Mit Billionen von Datenpunkten trainieren wir unsere KI.
   (We train our AI with trillions of data points.)

💰 When to use 'die Billion'?

"Die Billion" is used to express very large numbers (10¹²). Typical use cases include:

• Economics & Finance: Stating national debts, GDPs, company valuations, or very large sums of money. (e.g., Die weltweiten Staatsschulden übersteigen 60 Billionen US-Dollar. - Global national debts exceed 60 trillion US dollars.)
• Science & Technology: Describing astronomical distances, numbers of stars or galaxies, amounts of data (terabytes are 10¹² bytes, a German Billion bytes), or numbers of molecules/atoms. (e.g., Das sichtbare Universum enthält schätzungsweise zwei Billionen Galaxien. - The observable universe contains an estimated two trillion galaxies.)
• General Use: To emphasize extremely large quantities, often hyperbolically. (e.g., Ich habe dir das schon eine Billion Mal gesagt! - I've told you that a trillion times! - obviously exaggerated)

⚠️ Always pay attention to the context, especially when translating from English, to avoid confusion between the German Billion (10¹²) and the American billion (10⁹). Remember: German Billion = English Trillion.

💡 Mnemonics for 'die Billion'

Article Mnemonic: Think of a queen (feminine -> die) overseeing her vast wealth measured in trillions (German: Billionen). The article is die.

Meaning Mnemonic: The prefix "Bi-" means "two". A German Billion is like a Million (10⁶) raised to the power of two (in the sense of two groups of 6 zeros): (10⁶)² = 10¹². Or simply: A Million has 6 zeros, a Billion has double that, so 12 zeros. This makes it a trillion in English.

🔄 Synonyms, Antonyms & Potential Confusion

Similar words causing potential confusion

• Die Milliarde: Means 10⁹ (Tausend Millionen or "thousand million"). This corresponds to the American/modern UK English "billion". 🚨 High risk of confusion!
• Die Billiarde: Means 10¹⁵ (Tausend Billionen or "thousand trillion"). Another number word from the "long scale". Equivalent to English "quadrillion".

😂 A Little Number Joke

Lehrer: "Was ist die Hälfte von einer Billion?"
Schüler: "Eine halbe Billion?"
Lehrer: "Fast! Es ist immer noch unvorstellbar viel Geld!"

Teacher: "What is half of a trillion (German: Billion)?"
Student: "Half a trillion?"
Teacher: "Almost! It's still an unimaginably large amount of money!"

📜 Poem About the Number

Die Billion, welch große Zahl,
Zwölf Nullen im Lichterstrahl.
Für Schulden oft, für Sterne klar,
Sie macht das Unfassbare wahr.
Von Tausend Milliarden ist sie voll,
Ein Wort, das wirkt wie Donnerhall.

The Trillion (Die Billion), what a number grand,
Twelve zeros shining through the land.
For debts oft named, for stars so bright,
It makes the vastness clear to sight.
A thousand billion, full and whole,
A word that echoes, takes its toll.

🧩 Number Riddle

Ich bin weiblich und gigantisch groß,
Mit zwölf Nullen stoß auf Stoß.
Tausend Milliarden sind mein Wert,
In Amerika bin ich weniger begehrt (dort heißt's anders!).

Wer bin ich?

I am feminine and gigantically large,
With twelve zeros, barge by barge.
A thousand billion [US] is my worth,
In America, I have less berth (I'm called something else!).

Who am I?

... Die Billion (The German Billion / English Trillion)

🌐 Other Information

Etymology: The word "Billion" comes from the French "billion" (approx. 15th century), formed from the prefix "bi-" (two) and "Million". It originally denoted the second power of a million (Million² = (10⁶)² = 10¹²), which corresponds to the current German meaning (long scale).

Long vs. Short Scale: Germany and most continental European countries use the "long scale", where the names of large numbers (Million, Milliarde, Billion, Billiarde, Trillion, ...) jump alternately by a factor of one million (10⁶) or one thousand (10³). The USA and increasingly the UK use the "short scale", where each new name (million, billion, trillion, quadrillion...) represents a factor of one thousand (10³).

• Long Scale (e.g., German): Million (10⁶), Milliarde (10⁹), Billion (10¹²), Billiarde (10¹⁵), Trillion (10¹⁸)...
• Short Scale (e.g., US English): Million (10⁶), Billion (10⁹), Trillion (10¹²), Quadrillion (10¹⁵), Quintillion (10¹⁸)...

This difference is a major source of confusion in translation and international communication.