# twelfth

/ˈtwɛɫfθ/ (US) · /twˈɛlfθ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/twelfth
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. position number 12

numeral · CEFR A2

coming after the eleventh and before the thirteenth in a series.

For teachers: the ordinal form of the number twelve, indicating a position in a sequence.

- Her birthday is on the twelfth of December.
- The athlete finished in twelfth place, narrowly missing out on a top-ten ranking despite a strong final sprint.

Usage: Often functions as an adjective before a noun or as a pronoun.

### 2. one of twelve parts

noun · CEFR B1

one of twelve equal parts that make up a whole.

For teachers: one of twelve equal parts of a whole; a fraction represented as 1/12.

- He cut the cake into small pieces, and I ate one twelfth of it.
- The budget allocated only one twelfth of the total funds to infrastructure, which many critics argued was insufficient for the project.

Usage: Commonly preceded by 'a' or 'one'.

### 3. musical interval

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a musical distance that covers an octave plus five more notes.

For teachers: a musical interval spanning an octave and a perfect fifth.

- The organ pipe produced a clear twelfth above the main note.
- The composer utilized the natural twelfth of the horn to create a haunting, resonant texture in the second movement.

Usage: Refers to both the interval and the specific note at that distance.

## Examples

- He finished in twelfth place out of fifty runners.
- The office is located on the twelfth floor of the building, right above the cafeteria.
- In music theory, a compound interval spanning an octave and a perfect fifth is referred to as a perfect twelfth, representing a frequency ratio of three to one.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.