ten Rules for Writing Numbers and Numerals

How do you express numbers in your writing? When do you lot use figures (digits) and when do y'all write out the number in words (letters)? That is, when practice yous write 9 and when practise you write nine?

rulesforwritingnumbers.gif

i. Number versus numeral. First things first, what is the divergence 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 "3" are all symbols used to express the same number (or the concept of "threeness"). Ane could say that the difference between a number and its numerals is like the departure betwixt a person and her name.

2. Spell minor numbers out. The small numbers, such as whole numbers smaller than ten, should exist spelled out. That's one rule yous can count on. If you don't spell numbers out information technology will await like y'all'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 concur on other rules. Some experts say that any one-word number should exist written out. Two-give-and-take numbers should be expressed in figures. That is, they say you should write out twelve or xx. Only non 24.

four. Using the comma. In English, the comma is used as a thousands separator (and the period every bit a decimal separator), to make big numbers easier to read. And so write the size of Alaska as 571,951 foursquare miles instead of 571951 foursquare miles. In Continental Europe the opposite is true, periods are used to split large numbers and the comma is used for decimals. Finally, the International Systems of Units (SI) recommends that a space should exist 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. Get in "Fourscore and seven years agone," not "4 score and 7 years agone." 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 offset 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 "four% of the children" or "Add together 2 cups of brownish 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 discussion. Use "About 400 million people speak Spanish natively," instead of "Well-nigh 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 tin be disruptive if you lot write "7 13-year-olds", so write one of them as a numeral, like "7 13-yr-olds". Selection 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 xviii advanced students, not eighteen advanced students.

Video Recap

Desire to better your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and kickoff receiving our writing tips and exercises daily!

Keep learning! Scan the Grammer category, check our popular posts, or cull a related post below:

  • 50 Synonyms for "Leader"
  • fifty Nautical Terms in General Use
  • English Grammar 101: Sentences, Clauses and Phrases