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---
title: Seven Is World&#x27;s Favorite Number, Says Math Writer Alex Bellos
description: British mathematics writer Alex Bellos launched a worldwide survey asking people which number is their favorite after being posited the question many times while chatting with students or at lectures over the years and seeing that people take the choice seriously
canonical: https://time.com/55279/world-favorite-number-alex-bellos/
author: Maddy Fry
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article:content_tier: free
article:published_time: 2014-04-09T11:53:24.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T07:12:40.706Z
article:section: Science
og:title: 7 proved to be most popular number
og:description: British mathematics writer Alex Bellos launched a worldwide survey asking people which number is their favorite after being posited the question many times while chatting with students or at lectures over the years and seeing that people take the choice seriously
og:url: https://time.com/55279/world-favorite-number-alex-bellos/
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twitter:title: 7 proved to be most popular number
twitter:description: British mathematics writer Alex Bellos launched a worldwide survey asking people which number is their favorite after being posited the question many times while chatting with students or at lectures over the years and seeing that people take the choice seriously
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# And the World's Favorite Number Is...

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| Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | Subscribers | Open rate |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
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| Metric | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 |
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by 

[Maddy Fry](https://time.com/author/maddy-fry/)


## Maddy Fry


Apr 9, 2014 11:53 AM UTC

by 

[Maddy Fry](https://time.com/author/maddy-fry/)


## Maddy Fry


Apr 9, 2014 11:53 AM UTC

A survey launched by a British mathematics writer has found that seven is the world’s favorite number, reports [The _Guardian_](http://www.theguardian.com/science/alexs-adventures-in-numberland/2014/apr/08/seven-worlds-favourite-number-online-survey). The results of the online survey were published on Tuesday, with three, eight and and four coming second, third and fourth.

Alex Bellos said he started the survey because of his belief that people have strong feelings about numbers, something he learned from giving talks about math in schools, colleges and festivals. “I am always asked for my favorite number – it’s guaranteed this question will come up,” he said.

Bellos, whose new book is entitled _The Grapes of Math_, claimed he received over 30,000 responses within a few weeks of launching the survey, with total responses currently standing at 44,000\. Out of all the submissions, almost half of the votes cast were for the numbers between one and 10\. The least favorite number turned out to be 110, which was the lowest number to receive no votes.

The writer suggested that the reason for seven’s popularity is its prevalence in global culture, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, to the existence of seven days in a week.

“We love seven because it is unique. It reflects our uniqueness. Of course it’s the world’s favorite number,” he said.

\[[_Guardian_](http://www.theguardian.com/science/alexs-adventures-in-numberland/2014/apr/08/seven-worlds-favourite-number-online-survey)\]

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