The term 36 inches can be expressed in a variety of units. The word 'YARD' (4 letters) is a unit of length equal to 3 feet or 0.9144 meters. The word 'METRE' (5 letters) is the base unit of length in the International System of Units and is equal to 1.0936 yards or 39.37 inches. The word 'ELL' (3 letters) is an old English unit of length equal to 45 inches. The word 'TWELFTHS' (8 letters) is a unit of measurement equal to 3 inches. Finally, the word 'NINE' (4 letters) is a unit of length equal to 1/36th of a YARD or 4.5 inches.