Ask the Book Doctor: How to Handle Numbers

 

By Bobbie Christmas

 

Q: When am I supposed to write out numbers or use the numeral? Do I use the actual number, for example, 5, or do I write five? Are there certain times when I should write it out and other times when I use the numeral? Does it even matter?

 

A: It matters if you hope to get your writing published. It doesn’t matter if you’re just writing an email to a friend. 

 

I understand your confusion with numbers because you’ve seen them handled in differing ways, depending on what country you’re in and what you’re reading—a newspaper or a novel, for example. 

 

The first thing you need to know is that professional writers follow specific style guides—a list of rules to follow depending on the intended country, industry, project, or periodical. In America most periodicals follow AP style, most scholarly publishers follow MLA style, and most fiction and nonfiction publishers follow Chicago style, and the styles differ in how to handle numbers. 

 

Back in the 1970s when I was a journalist writing for newspapers and magazines, I had to follow AP style. Its style guide had about six hundred pages. When I became a book editor in 1990, I had to unlearn AP style and adhere to Chicago style. The Chicago Manual of Style had more than a thousand pages. To make matters more complicated, Chicago style changes a little every few years, and editors must keep up with all the changes. 

 

In Chicago style the format for numbers also depends on what the numbers refer to, for example sports scores, dates, or times of day. It also depends on whether the numerals appear in the narrative or dialogue. No wonder writers are confused!

 

If you hope to write an article for a periodical, ask the editor of that periodical what style guide to follow. 

 

Because I’m an American book editor, I’ll explain how numbers should be handled in fiction and nonfiction books for American audiences. 

 

Spell out whole numbers one through one hundred. Also spell them out when followed by hundred, thousand, or hundred thousand. Examples: Only four people applied for work, when I expected at least fourteen. I’ll never forget the three thousand customers who frequented my store. Some 2,500 more came in only once or twice. 

 

Always spell out numbers at the beginning of a sentence. Example: Forty-seven people fell ill. 

 

Dates are always in numerals. Example: We wanted to find an area still living in the 1960s, so we left town on October 16, 2006, to begin our search. 

 

Numerals in dialogue, with the exception of dates and uneven numbers, are usually spelled out. Examples: “I’ll meet you at six o’clock.” “I’ll be there at one-thirty.” “I live at three oh one North Elm Street.” “I won 5,241 dollars.” “She hasn’t visited since 1999.” 

 

Avoid informal use of dates in narrative. Instead of William King was born in ’02, write out the whole year. William King was born in 1902. 

 

Numbers with decimal points can be used as numbers in narrative, but not in dialogue. Examples: The average age of dogs is 12.1 years. Tom said, “The average age of dogs is twelve point one years.”  

 

Centuries are spelled out and lowercased. Example: The artist copied works from the sixteenth century. 

 

Depending on the publication, sports scores may be used as numerals. Example: The final score was 7-0. 

 

Always spell out numbers at the beginning of a sentence. Example: Seven people fell ill. 

 

Approximate numbers above one hundred are written out, whereas exact ones are in numbers. We spent about a thousand dollars on airfare, but only $242.50 on food for the trip. 

 

In ratios it is better to spell out the numerals instead of using a colon. He has a ten-to-one chance of winning. In technical text, however, it is okay to use numerals and a colon with no space between the numbers and the colon: a 10:1 ratio. 

 

Use the number in percentages followed by the word, not the symbol. Example: Only 40 percent of the people voted. 

 

The details about numerals can be too much to digest. You can see why many writers are confused about how to handle numbers. When in doubt check the appropriate style guide or use a professional editor familiar with the style guide your piece should follow. 

 

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Send your questions to Bobbie Christmas, book editor, author of Write In Style: Use Your Computer to Improve Your Writing, and owner of Zebra Communications. Bobbie@zebraeditor.com or BZebra@aol.com. Read Bobbie’s Zebra Communications blog at https://www.zebraeditor.com/blog/.