I'm confused now. Which explanation of "tens if not hundreds of thousands of ... " is correct? :(
tens if not hundreds of thousands of ... = from tens of thousands to even hundreds of thousands of...

tens if not hundreds of thousands of ... = if not hundreds of thousands but at least tens of thousands of...

?

Question

I'm confused now. Which explanation of "tens if not hundreds of thousands of ... " is correct? :(
tens if not hundreds of thousands of ... = from tens of thousands to even hundreds of thousands of...

tens if not hundreds of thousands of ...  = if not hundreds of thousands but at least tens of thousands of...

?

Answer

It means 'at least tens of thousands, but probably hundreds of thousands.'

So the writer thinks it is most likely 100,000 or more, but he knows its at least in the 10,000 - 100,000 bracket.

Hope that helps!

Answer

The second one is the most vivid explanation of the phrase “Tens, if not hundreds of thousands of..."