Majority of Stylebooks
Spelled Out
All numbers that begin a sentence are spelled out.
Three hundred and fifteen people live in that small town.
Numbers zero to one hundred should be spelled out.
fifty-five people
Numbers followed by hundred, thousand, hundred thousand, million, billion, trillion, etc. should be spelled out.
three thousand years
Simple fractions are spelled out; complex fractions use numerals.
two-thirds 1 ½ 3.7
Numerals
Numerals are used for numbers greater than one hundred and for complex large numbers.
101 1,535,000
Plurals for numerals are made by adding s.
1960s 60s
Numerals are used for years, except at the beginning of a sentence.
1964 2021
Numerals are used for page, chapter, volume, or part numbers.
page 5 chapter 3 volume 12 part 3
Numerals precede percent or %.
7 percent 8 %
Use numerals for tables, columns, charts….
Numerals are used for sports scores and court decisions.
8-3-win 5-4 decision
Maintain consistency within categories within a section of text. If one person, place, or thing requires a numeral, all require a numeral.
The zoo has 1000 birds, 75 monkeys, 5 rhinos, and 3 zebras.
(category of animals)
Scientific and Technical Works
Single-digit numbers are spelled out (one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine), and all other numbers are written as numerals (10, 11, etc.).
Numerals precede units, such as meters, feet, square inches, etc.
3 meters 8 feet 3 square-feet
AP Style
Single-digit numbers are spelled out (one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine) and all other numbers are written as numerals (10, 11, etc.), except for large numbers (2 million people).
Numerals precede units, such as meters, feet, square inches, etc.
3 meters 8 feet 3 square-feet
Numerals are used for ages.
3 years old
Numerals are used for monetary amounts.
3 cents $5 million
MLA Style
Numbers that cannot be written out in one or two words should be written in numerals.
Nineteen hundred 1937 648
Hyphenate compounds numbers between twenty-one and ninety-nine.
