Roman numeral conversion, step by step

Roman numerals are the number system on clock faces, book chapters, and Super Bowl logos.

The question

98 in Roman numerals

pieces:XCVIII
pieces:XCVIII
pieces:XCVIII
XC=100 − 10
pieces:XCVIII
values:905111
XCVIII=98
  1. Build it from the biggest pieces down, not by counting Is. 98 splits into 90 + 5 + 1 + 1 + 1.
  2. XC is a pair, not two letters each. A SMALLER letter in front of a bigger one is taken away: XC is 90 — not 110.
  3. Read it as "one short of the next one up": XC is 100 take away 10. That is the same idea as XL, one size larger.
  4. Written out in order, biggest first, those pieces are XCVIII — and reading it back adds up to 98 again, which is the check.

How it works.

  1. 01

    Build it from the biggest pieces down, not by counting Is. 98 splits into 90 + 5 + 1 + 1 + 1.

  2. 02

    XC is a pair, not two letters each. A SMALLER letter in front of a bigger one is taken away: XC is 90 — not 110.

  3. 03

    Read it as "one short of the next one up": XC is 100 take away 10. That is the same idea as XL, one size larger.

  4. 04

    Written out in order, biggest first, those pieces are XCVIII — and reading it back adds up to 98 again, which is the check.