A method for the natural language recognition of numbers, in particular, for use in a voice recognition system. The recognition method is as the follows: a spoken numeral is detected and digitized, the numeral is broken down into number-related word components, the mutual position of the word components is determined within the numeral, the numerical values corresponding to the word components are compared and recognized using word component-number value pairs maintained in a digital dictionary, and the individual numerical values are strung together and/or added and/or multiplied according to the type and positions thereof of the corresponding word components in the numeral such that the numerical value corresponding to the input numeral is obtained.