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It’s important to use a consistent style when writing numbers. If you’re inconsistent in the same document, it will look like a mistake!
There are various ways of writing numbers, explained below.
Style 1 is the most common – and style 2 is common in certain situations (e.g. online). The third table shows additional information on how to write numbers – which applies in most situations. Style 3 is used for writing about costs and fees in legal and financial contexts. Academic writing is covered in style 4.
Choose your style from the information in these tables:
| Style 1 | This is the most common style for writing numbers (e.g. newspapers, business reports, books) | |
|---|---|---|
| Numbers | Details | Examples |
| one – nine | Write in words | We met one coach, two teachers and nine students in the gym. |
| 10 and over | Write in digits | We met 120 students, 12 teachers and 22 parents in the gym. |
| Mixed numbers in the same sentence | Most common: Follow the style above so that numbers are a mixture of digits and words. Also possible: Use all digits (which means that numbers under 10 will be digits in some sentences and spelled out in others) |
a. We met two teachers, 120 students and nine parents in the gym. b. We met 2 teachers, 120 students and 9 parents in the gym. |
| At the start of a sentence | Write in words, even when it’s over 10 . BUT If the number is over 99, try to rephrase the sentence (or round it up or down) |
a. Twelve people attended the meeting.
b. Last year, 102,000 complaints were made by the public. c. Over 100,000 complaints were made by the public. |
| Punctuation for numbers at the start of a sentence | Two-word numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine are always hyphenated | Twenty-two people attended the meeting. |
Style 2
