What is 2026 in Roman numerals?

2026 is MMXXVI: MM (2,000) + XX (20) + VI (6).

What is the largest number I can write in Roman numerals?

In the standard system the largest is 3,999, written MMMCMXCIX. Larger numbers need a bar notation that is rarely used.

Why is 4 written IV and not IIII?

The standard rule avoids more than three identical symbols in a row, so four is written as 5 minus 1. Some clock faces still use IIII by tradition.

Is there a Roman numeral for zero?

No. The Romans had no symbol for zero. The word "nulla" was occasionally used in medieval texts, but it is not part of the numeral system.

Why does the tool reject some numerals?

It only accepts canonical forms. For example IC is not a valid way to write 99; the correct form is XCIX.

Roman Numeral Converter – Numbers to Roman and Back

Type a number to see its Roman numeral, or type a Roman numeral to see the number. Either box updates the other as you type.

How Roman numerals work

Roman numerals write numbers with seven letters: I is 1, V is 5, X is 10, L is 50, C is 100, D is 500 and M is 1,000. Values are normally added from left to right, so XVI is 10 + 5 + 1 = 16. When a smaller symbol stands in front of a larger one, it is subtracted instead, so IV is 4 (5 − 1) and CM is 900 (1,000 − 100). Only six subtractive pairs are used in the standard system: IV, IX, XL, XC, CD and CM.

The conversion method

To turn a number into a numeral, work through the values from largest to smallest and write each symbol as many times as it fits. For 1994: one M (1,000) leaves 994; one CM (900) leaves 94; one XC (90) leaves 4; one IV (4) leaves 0. The result is MCMXCIV. To read a numeral, add up the symbols but subtract any symbol that is smaller than the one that follows it. This tool then re-encodes the answer and compares it with what you typed, so unusual forms such as IIII or VX are rejected rather than guessed.

Rules worth remembering

A symbol is not repeated more than three times in a row. Four is IV, not IIII.
V, L and D are never repeated or subtracted. Nine is IX and ninety is XC, but forty-five is XLV, not VL.
I can only precede V and X; X can only precede L and C; C can only precede D and M.
There is no symbol for zero, and the standard system tops out at 3,999 (MMMCMXCIX). Larger numbers need an overline notation that is not used in everyday writing.

Where Roman numerals still appear

You will meet them on clock faces, in chapter and outline numbering, in film copyright years, on monuments and buildings, in the names of monarchs and popes (Elizabeth II, John Paul II), and in sporting events such as the Super Bowl. A date like MMXXVI is the year 2026. Some old clocks use IIII for four on the dial, a traditional exception to the subtraction rule, but this converter follows the standard form.

Using the tool

Letters can be typed in lower or upper case. If the input is not a valid numeral the tool says so instead of showing a wrong number. The conversion happens entirely in your browser.

Roman Numeral Converter