Billion

A billion is a word we use for a very big number. It can mean two different things, depending on where you are.

In many places, like the United States and now in Britain, a billion means 1,000,000,000. That is one thousand million.

In some other places, a billion used to mean 1,000,000,000,000. That is one million million. This is called the long scale.

The word billion started a long time ago, in the 16th century. It came from the word million. Over time, the meaning changed in some countries. Today, most English-speaking countries use the same meaning for billion.