What is the difference between 20$ and $20? [closed]

Solution 1:

It is the convention of some countries to put their currency symbol before the number, while others put it after the number.

At least one country has put it in the middle.

So you could assume, in the absence of any context, that the 20$ is a different currency to $20.

Solution 2:

In English, the dollar sign is placed before the amount, so the correct order is $20, as others have noted.

However, when you see people using 20$, it's likely they're being influenced by a few different things:

1. Many other countries (and the Canadian province of Quebec) put the currency symbol after the amount
2. In spoken English the word dollars follows the amount, e.g. twenty dollars
3. The sign for cents is placed after the amount: 25¢

Because of these inconsistencies, writing 20$ is a very common mistake. I've been known to do it myself.

Solution 3:

In American English, the currency symbol is placed before the amount; the same is true for British English.
It is $20, not 20$.

Solution 4:

The location of the currency depends on the language in which it appears.

For instance, English texts should use "€ 20" while French ones should use "20 €".

Solution 5:

As others have mentioned in passing, those are not the only two possibilities. In France at least, you sometimes find prices written as 19€95, as an alternative to 19,95€ (and yes, the decimal separator there is the comma).