Decade

A **decade** (pronunciation: DEK-aid) is a period of 10 years. The word comes from the Ancient Greek word _deka_ ("ten"). Ten decades make a century, while 100 decades make a millennium.

## Overview

A decade is any 10-year period: There are different ways to refer to different groupings of ten years. For example, the period from 2001 to 2010 can be described as the **1st decade of the 21st century**, the period from 2011 to 2020 is the 2nd decade of the 21st century, and the 3rd decade of the 21st century is the period from 2021 to 2030.

### Applications

An individual who has been alive two full decades is referred to as being in their 20s for the next decade of their life, from age 20 to 29. Decades are also considered specific groups of ten years sharing the same tens digit, identified by name, as in the **nineteen-eighties** (**1980s**) referring to the period from 1980 to 1989 and the **nineteen-nineties** (**1990s**) referring to the period from 1990 to 1999.

This is sometimes shortened to simply the _decade_, where the context is clear, as in **the** **eighties** (**80s**) or **the** **nineties** (**90s**). No apostrophe is used before the _s_ in the names of these decades. Some decades also have nicknames, such as the **Roaring Twenties** (1920s), the **Naughty Nineties** (1890s) (UK), and the **Swinging Sixties** (1960s).
|align="right"|**17th century BC**|1690s BC|1680s BC|align="right"|1670s BC|1660s BC|1650s BC|align="right"|1640s BC|1630s BC|1620s BC|1610s BC|1600s BC|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|align="right"|**16th century BC**|1590s BC|1580s BC|align="right"|1570s BC|1560s BC|1550s BC|align="right"|1540s BC|1530s BC|1520s BC|1510s BC|1500s BC|
|align="right"|**15th century BC**|1490s BC|1480s BC|align="right"|1470s BC|1460s BC|1450s BC|align="right"|1440s BC|1430s BC|1420s BC|1410s BC|1400s BC|
|align="right"|**14th century BC**|1390s BC|1380s BC|align="right"|1370s BC|1360s BC|1350s BC|align="right"|1340s BC|1330s BC|1320s BC|1310s BC|1300s BC|
|align="right"|**13th century BC**|1290s BC|1280s BC|align="right"|1270s BC|1260s BC|1250s BC|align="right"|1240s BC|1230s BC|1220s BC|1210s BC|1200s BC|
|align="right"|**12th century BC**|1190s BC|1180s BC|align="right"|1170s BC|1160s BC|1150s BC|align="right"|1140s BC|1130s BC|1120s BC|1110s BC|1100s BC|
|align="right"|**11th century BC**|1090s BC|1080s BC|align="right"|1070s BC|1060s BC|1050s BC|align="right"|1040s BC|1030s BC|1020s BC|1010s BC|1000s BC|
|align="right"|**10th century BC**|990s BC|980s BC|align="right"|970s BC|960s BC|950s BC|align="right"|940s BC|930s BC|920s BC|910s BC|900s BC|
|align="right"|**9th century BC**|890s BC|880s BC|align="right"|870s BC|860s BC|850s BC|align="right"|840s BC|830s BC|820s BC|810s BC|800s BC|
|align="right"|**8th century BC**|790s BC|780s BC|align="right"|770s BC|760s BC|750s BC|align="right"|740s BC|730s BC|720s BC|710s BC|700s BC|
|align="right"|**7th century BC**|690s BC|680s BC|align="right"|670s BC|660s BC|650s BC|align="right"|640s BC|630s BC|620s BC|610s BC|600s BC|
|align="right"|**6th century BC**|590s BC|580s BC|align="right"|570s BC|560s BC|550s BC|align="right"|540s BC|530s BC|520s BC|510s BC|500s BC|
|align="right"|**5th century BC**|490s BC|480s BC|align="right"|470s BC|460s BC|450s BC|align="right"|440s BC|430s BC|420s BC|410s BC|400s BC|
|align="right"|**4th century BC**|390s BC|380s BC|align="right"|370s BC|360s BC|350s BC|align="right"|340s BC|330s BC|320s BC|310s BC|300s BC|
|align="right"|**3rd century BC**|290s BC|280s BC|align="right"|270s BC|260s BC|250s BC|align="right"|240s BC|230s BC|220s BC|210s BC|200s BC|
|align="right"|**2nd century BC**|190s BC|180s BC|align="right"|170s BC|160s BC|150s BC|align="right"|140s BC|130s BC|120s BC|110s BC|100s BC|
|align="right"|**1st century BC**|90s BC|80s BC|align="right"|70s BC|60s BC|50s BC|align="right"|40s BC|30s BC|20s BC|10s BC|0s BC|
|align="right"|**1st century**|0s|10s|align="right"|20s|30s|40s|align="right"|50s|60s|70s|80s|90s|
|align="right"|**2nd century**|100s|110s|align="right"|120s|130s|140s|align="right"|150s|160s|170s|180s|190s|
|align="right"|**3rd century**|200s|210s|align="right"|220s|230s|240s|align="right"|250s|260s|270s|280s|290s|
|align="right"|**4th century**|300s|310s|align="right"|320s|330s|340s|align="right"|350s|360s|370s|380s|390s|
|align="right"|**5th century**|400s|410s|align="right"|420s|430s|440s|align="right"|450s|460s|470s|480s|490s|
|align="right"|**6th century**|500s|510s|align="right"|520s|530s|540s|align="right"|550s|560s|570s|580s|590s|
|align="right"|**7th century**|600s|610s|align="right"|620s|630s|640s|align="right"|650s|660s|670s|680s|690s|
|align="right"|**8th century**|700s|710s|align="right"|720s|730s|740s|align="right"|750s|760s|770s|780s|790s|
|align="right"|**9th century**|800s|810s|align="right"|820s|830s|840s|align="right"|850s|860s|870s|880s|890s|
|align="right"|**10th century**|900s|910s|align="right"|920s|930s|940s|align="right"|950s|960s|970s|980s|990s|
|align="right"|**11th century**|1000s|1010s|align="right"|1020s|1030s|1040s|align="right"|1050s|1060s|1070s|1080s|1090s|
|align="right"|**12th century**|1100s|1110s|align="right"|1120s|1130s|1140s|align="right"|1150s|1160s|1170s|1180s|1190s|
|align="right"|**13th century**|1200s|1210s|align="right"|1220s|1230s|1240s|align="right"|1250s|1260s|1270s|1280s|1290s|
|align="right"|**14th century**|1300s|1310s|align="right"|1320s|1330s|1340s|align="right"|1350s|1360s|1370s|1380s|1390s|
|align="right"|**15th century**|1400s|1410s|align="right"|1420s|1430s|1440s|align="right"|1450s|1460s|1470s|1480s|1490s|
|align="right"|**16th century**|1500s|1510s|align="right"|1520s|1530s|1540s|align="right"|1550s|1560s|1570s|1580s|1590s|
|align="right"|**17th century**|1600s|1610s|align="right"|1620s|1630s|1640s|align="right"|1650s|1660s|1670s|1680s|1690s|
|align="right"|**18th century**|1700s|1710s|align="right"|1720s|1730s|1740s|align="right"|1750s|1760s|1770s|1780s|1790s|
|align="right"|**19th century**|1800s|1810s|align="right"|1820s|1830s|1840s|align="right"|1850s|1860s|1870s|1880s|1890s|
|align="right"|**20th century**|1900s|1910s|align="right"|1920s|1930s|1940s|align="right"|1950s|1960s|1970s|1980s|1990s|
|align="right"|**21st century**|2000s|2010s|align="right"|2020s|2030s|2040s|align="right"|2050s|2060s|2070s|2080s|2090s|