10 Rules for Writing Numbers and Numerals
How do you express numbers in your writing? When do
you use figures (digits) and when do you write out the number in words
(letters)? That is, when do you write 9 and when do you write nine?
1. Number versus numeral.
First things first, what is the difference between a number and a numeral? A
number is an abstract concept while a numeral is a symbol used to express that
number. “Three,” “3″ and “III” are all symbols used to express the same number
(or the concept of “three ness”). One could say that the difference between a
number and its numerals is like the difference between a person and her name.
2. Spell small numbers out.
The small numbers, such as whole numbers smaller than ten, should be spelled
out. That’s one rule you can count on. If you don’t spell numbers out it will
look like you’re sending an instant message, and you want to be more formal
than that in your writing.
3. No other standard rule:
Experts don’t always agree on other rules. Some experts say that any one-word
number should be written out. Two-word numbers should be expressed in figures.
That is, they say you should write out twelve or twenty.
But; not 24.
4. Using the comma. In English, the comma
is used as a thousands separator (and the period as a decimal separator), to
make large numbers easier to read. So write the size of Alaska as 571,951
square miles instead of 571951 square miles. In Continental Europe the opposite
is true, periods are used to separate large numbers and the comma is used for
decimals. Finally, the International Systems of Units (SI) recommends that a
space should be used to separate groups of three digits, and both the comma and
the period should be used only to denote decimals, like $13 200,50 (the comma
part is a mess… I know).
5. Don’t start a sentence with a numeral.
Make it “Fourscore and seven years ago,” not “4 score and 7 years ago.” That
means you might have to rewrite some sentences: “Fans bought 400,000 copies the
first day” instead of “400,000 copies were sold the first day.”
6. Centuries and decades should be spelled out. Use the
Eighties or nineteenth century.
7. Percentages and recipes.
With everyday writing and recipes you can use digits, like “4% of the children”
or “Add 2 cups of brown rice.” In formal writing, however, you should spell the
percentage out like “12 percent of the players” (or “twelve percent of the
players,” depending on your preference as explained in point three).
8. If the number is rounded or estimated, spell it out.
Rounded numbers over a million are written as a numeral plus a word. Use “About
400 million people speak Spanish natively,” instead of “About 400,000,000
people speak Spanish natively.” If you’re using the exact number,
you’d write it out, of course.
9. Two numbers next to each other.
It can be confusing if you write “7 13-year-olds”, so write one of them as a
numeral, like “seven 13-year-olds”. Pick the number that has the fewest
letters.
10. Ordinal numbers and consistency.
Don’t say “He was my 1st true love,” but rather “He was my first true love.” Be
consistent within the same sentence. If my teacher has 23 beginning students,
she also has 18 advanced students, not eighteen advanced students.
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