Writing Numbers as Both Numerals and Words
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
Writing Numbers as Both Numerals and Words
Many readers have asked me why people write numbers this way:
Example: We will need 220 (two hundred twenty) chairs.
While it is often unnecessary to have both numerals and words for the same number, and can come off as pretentious, there are two reasons for using both:
1. You are more likely to make an error when typing a numeral than when typing a word AND much less likely to spot the error when proofreading.
2. If your document is dense, has a lot of numbers, or contains large numbers, the numerical form helps your readers scan information quickly.
So by typing a combination of a numeral and a word, you are almost guaranteed accuracy and ease of reading.
If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.
I’ve always heard that you should not use the word “and” when writing out a number. For example, 150 should be written “one hundred fifty” and not “one hundred and fifty”.
Hardly anyone seems to know this. I recently received a wedding invitation with 2011 written out as “two thousand and eleven”.
I’d like to know once and for all if I am correct. Thank you!
Yes, you are correct. The word “and” should not be included (one hundred fifty). The year 2011 may be written out “two thousand eleven” or “twenty eleven” if written out at all. However, we understand that some people like to write the year out in a formal invitation.
I’d like to ask if it is possible to write number of pages in words when they are small numbers (on page 8 vs. on page eight). thank you
It is possible, but not recommended. The Chicago Manual of Style’s rule says, “Numbers referring to pages, chapters, parts, volumes, and other divisions of a book, as well as numbers referring to illustrations or tables, are set as numerals.”
Must a sentence always start numbers spelled out even if it’s a large number, or with decimals, such as: 45.12 or $3,423,234.21 ?
Always write out a number if it begins a sentence. If the number is cumbersome, rewrite your sentence. For example, rather than writing “Forty-five dollars and twelve cents is what I still owe him” write “I still owe him $45.12.”
how do you spell 115.75,and
115.35
thank you
The numbers would be written as follows:
one hundred fifteen and three-quarters
one hundred fifteen and thirty-five hundredths
how do you write 8:27 in words
Write “eight twenty-seven.”
Would this be correct wording for an 8th grade diploma? “Dated this twenty-sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord, Two thousand sixteen.” Should “Two” be capitalized? Should there be a comma after “thousand”? Thanks.
There is no reason to capitalize two or place a comma after thousand. We would not necessarily use commas to set off the phrase “in the year of our Lord,” however,
special documents often follow their own rules.
I need help to figure out how to write 1 150 030 in words. Is it ‘ one million, hundred fifty thousand, thirty’? Or is it some other answer.
The style manuals recommend using a numeral to express such a large number in formal prose. If you had to write it out, in accordance with our Rule 8a of Writing Numbers, it would be one million one hundred fifty thousand thirty.
I am confused how do i write “32 is what percent of 80?” Do I have to use “is” after the number or am I going to use “are”?
If you turn the sentence around, you will see that the subject percent agrees with the verb is. “What percent of 80 is 32?”
The Style Manual advises to write the words for numbers one to nine. Does that mean 1.5 should be written one and a half? (there was a question similar above but it wasn’t clear to me, for this context anyway).
Our post Fractions, Decimals, and Money advises, “A mixed fraction can be expressed in figures unless it is the first word of a sentence.” Therefore, it can be written one and one-half, 1 1/2 or 1.5.
The best advice is to choose a formula and stay consistent.
In legal writing, we use the word format followed by the numeric format in parenthesis. When a hyphen is involved, would you only include that after the parenthesis or before the parenthesis. Or would you omit the hyphen?
Example: Enter your time in ten (10)-minute increments.
OR
Enter your time in ten- (10) minute increments.
None of the style guides we consulted address this issue. Since legal documents have their own set of rules, we recommend consulting a legal style manual. However, if we were forced to take a guess at how this should be expressed, we would lean toward a format that is simple to understand. If you are required to always spell out numbers then follow with digits, our preference would be Enter your time in ten-minute (10-minute) increments.
Do you say 22+ years or 22 plus years
We do not recommend using the mathematical plus sign in that manner in formal writing. To avoid confusion, we recommend writing 22-plus years, or, depending on the context, over 22 years.
Can you still use numerals for ease of reading comprehension in certain instances where the sentence is proceeding at a very rapid clip? (Ex. You’re functioning on less than 5 hours [sleep]?!”)
Thanks in advance!
We do not recommend using numerals for numbers less than ten in formal writing. See Rules for Writing Numbers.
For formal writing, which order is correct?
I have (10) ten balls;
I have 10 (ten) balls;
I have (ten) 10 balls;
I have ten (10) balls.
Our recommendation is that it is generally not necessary to use both numerals and words for numbers. We would emphasize accuracy as a reason for doing so. Regarding your sentences, either sentence 2 or 4 would be acceptable; the quantity in parentheses should come second.
What is the correct way to write out a height range?
I believe suspect one (white hat) is 5’5½” – 5’6” (166.37 – 67.64 cm) and suspect two (grey/blue hat) is 5’10” – 5’11” (177.8 – 80.34 cm).
Either a hyphen or an en dash, without spaces, can be used to indicate a range. To avoid misunderstanding, we recommend not dropping digits in your examples, e.g., 166.37–167.64 cm.
Which is the correct way of writing?
$300 (Three hundred dollars) or
Three hundred dollars ($300)
Either one is acceptable; however, our Rule 1 of Writing Numbers says, “Spell out all numbers beginning a sentence.” Therefore, if the dollar amount begins the sentence, write “Three hundred dollars ($300).”
“So by typing a combination of a numeral and a word, you are almost guaranteed accuracy and ease of reading.”
Is this an opinion or formally accepted (or even mandated) US English style? I ask because I am editing documents written for a US development agency that are full of messily redundant numerals and words.
Personally, I think that using both numerals and words belongs only on a paper cheque, and who has those any more?
Our recommendation is that it is generally not necessary to use both numerals and words for numbers. We would emphasize accuracy as a reason for doing so.
When expressing fractional amounts of money, like Euro 0.122, is this amount written as (twelve point two euro cents), or is there a better way?
Write 12.2 euro cents.
How would you write the following?
One of seventy-three hospitals in the nation…
or
One of 73 hospitals in the nation…
Either treatment would be acceptable. A determining factor can be whether you are writing formally (seventy-three) or less formally (73). The Chicago Manual of Style (formal, such as books and academic writing) advises writing out numbers zero through one hundred. The Associated Press Stylebook (less formal, such as newspapers and magazines) spells out zero through nine and uses numerals for 10 and greater.
Using a written-out number followed by a numeral in parentheses is an obsolete holdover from the days of handwritten business documents, and is never appropriate. The idea that it is a safeguard against errors is just silly. If the written-out number and the numeral in parentheses differ, how on earth is the reader to interpret it? Errors are prevented by proofreading.