Large numbers with “millions” or “billions in them are written out based on the above rules, i.e., fourteen million, 5.6 billion, 143 trillion. My advice on this? Pick a convention and stick to it. Make sure to use a “right apostrophe” (opening away from the number)! Also correct: the sixties and seventies. Chicago calls for no apostrophe to appear between the year and the s.” Both of the following are correct: the 1960s and 1970s and the ’60s and ’70s. “Decades are either expressed in numerals or spelled out (as long as the century is clear) and lower cased. You wouldn’t write “38%” or “thirty-eight percent” in a sentence. In other words, write volume numbers in digits.ĭon’t spell out numbers (and do spell out “percent”) when expressing a percentage: More than 38 percent of VIP guests spend more than $5,000 annually. And of course, th is not typed in superscript.Ĭonvert Roman numerals (like the ones here) to Arabic numerals, regular digits-except when the preface or front matter of a book is involved. In a phrase like “to the nth degree,” n is italicized. You can, as I do, turn off the feature in Microsoft Word that automatically superscripts your ordinals. It's the 33rd Congress, and the 101st Airborne. “The letters in ordinal numbers should not appear as superscripts” (e.g., 122nd, written like this. ![]() “If, for example, a book includes many mentions of ages, all ages might be given as numerals.” (This might make sense for a family history or genealogy book.) Key word: might, not must. “In the same sentence or paragraph, however, items in one category may be given as numbers and items in another spelled out.” Example: He biked 3 miles, 17 miles, and 26 miles in three-, four-, and five-hour sessions. (Ordinarily four hundred would be spelled out.) Here’s another example: At 1 hour and 29 minutes, this movie is much shorter than other Tom Hanks films.” (Notice hours and minutes are two different categories, and the sentence doesn’t begin with a numeral.) ![]() you must use numbers for one of the numbers in a given category, use them for all in that category.” Here’s an example: Between 350 and 400 people attended the event. If, for example, a book includes many mentions of ages, all ages might be given as numerals.” My advice: if you have three or more numbers in close proximity, go with the digits-the numerals, not the spelled-out version. While you’re at it, avoid beginning a sentence with a year.Ĭhicago style says to “avoid a thickly clustered group of spelled-out numbers. Always write out the number or recast the sentence: Some 1,300 children visited the zoo yesterday. Never begin a sentence with a non-spelled-out number. Particular centuries are always spelled out and lowercased, even if you’re using the alternate rule: the nineteenth-century. This is more often applied “in scientific or journalistic contexts.” I recommend the alternate rule only to authors who have many numbers in their books, who are or have been journalists, and who are writing books in science, sports, or personal finance and investing. I’ll quote below from the 17th edition-from the section “Numerals versus Words: General Principles,” in chapter 9 (“Numbers”).Ĭhicago’s alternate rule calls for “spelling out only single-digit numbers and using numerals for all others” (with exceptions, below). The Chicago Manual of Style is the industry standard for most nonfiction authors. ![]() Here’s what The Chicago Manual of Style (and a nonfiction copyeditor) has to say. One of the things I do all the time is encounter (and resolve) has to do with spelling out numbers in writing. I help authors wow readers and put their best work out there. I help people turn their manuscripts into polished gems so they can score book contracts or successfully self-publish. If you’re wondering about the rules for spelling out numbers, and you’re an American nonfiction author writing in American English, read ahead.Īs a professional copyeditor, I polish nonfiction authors’ book manuscripts and get them ready for prime-time. If you’re not confused, you’re probably clueless.Īnd you’ve probably introduced inconsistency and amateurism into the manuscript you have such high hopes for.
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