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The Global Insight

What words are written on the dollar bill?

Author

Michael Gray

Updated on April 09, 2026

The words that appear on the front are, “FEDERAL RESERVE NOTE,” THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “THIS NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER FOR ALL DEBTS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE,” “Washington, D.C.,” “Washington” (under Washington’s portrait), “ONE DOLLAR,” the name of the Federal Reserve Bank where the bill originated, and various serial …

What does the language on the dollar bill mean?

The Latin phrase ‘Annuit Coeptis’ around the top of the pyramid means ‘God has favored our undertaking. ‘ The phrase below the base, ‘Novus Ordo Seclorum,’ can be translated as ‘a new order of the ages.

What is the Latin on the back of the dollar bill?

Annuit Coeptis
How fresh is your Latin? Maybe if you took it in high school, you might already know this, but there are three Latin phrases on the back of the dollar bill, and they are: Annuit Coeptis – meaning “God has favored (or approved) our undertakings”. Novus Ordo Seclorum – meaning “New order of the ages”.

What does the Latin mean on money?

E pluribus unum (/iː ˈplɜːrɪbəs ˈuːnəm/ ee PLUR-ib-əs OO-nəm, Classical Latin: [eː ˈpluːrɪbʊs ˈuːnʊ̃]) – Latin for “Out of many, one” (also translated as “One out of many” or “One from many”) – is a traditional motto of the United States, appearing on the Great Seal along with Annuit cœptis (Latin for “he approves the …

What are the three Latin phrases on the dollar bill?

dollar bill, American Three Latin phrases, namely annuit cœptis “[He] has approved our undertakings,” novus ordo seclorum “a new order of the ages,” and e pluribus unum “out of many, one,” appear on the Great Seal of the United States (see Fig.

What makes a dollar bill unusable?

There are three things that you CANNOT do to paper currency: You CANNOT change the denomination — for example, you cannot add two zeros to a one dollar bill and pretend that it’s a one hundred dollar bill. You CANNOT burn, shred, or destroy currency, rendering it unfit for circulation.

What does the pyramid represent on the dollar bill?

Symbol: Pyramid One of the most eye-catching dollar bill symbols is the pyramid, which represents strength and duration.

What do the Latin phrases on the dollar bill mean?

There are two mottos scribed in Latin on the reverse of the dollar bill that have been directly linked to the works of the Roman poet Virgil. The first phrase is located just above the eye and reads, Annuit Coeptis. Derived from the Latin annuo, meaning “to nod” or “to approve”…

What do the symbols on the US one dollar bill mean?

It features the Federal Reserve District Seal, the note position letter and number, the serial number, the U.S. Treasury Seal, the note position and plate serial number, and bill series. That’s a lot of stuff! Let’s break them down.

Do you have to see the numbers before the letter on a one dollar bill?

The letter which precedes the numbers must be the same number that you saw identifying the Federal Reserve Bank.

What does the B mean on the New York dollar bill?

New York is the Second Federal Reserve District and is designated by the letter B. The note position letter and number is a combination of one letter and one number (on this bill it’s B3) and simply denotes what position on the plate the bill was printed. The front of the $1 bill also includes its note position and plate serial number (B95).