What are the rules for writing numbers?

1. Write out numbers one through nine.

Examples: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine

2. Use figures for numbers 10 and above.

Examples: 10 proposals, 25 persons, 32 points

3. In a series of numbers, some of which are above nine and others below, write all the numbers as figures.

Example: We received 25 computers, 4 printers, and 65 instruction manuals.

4. Do not write numbers of a million or more as figures. For large round numbers, use words. three million, twelve billion. For large mixed numbers, use a figure-plus-word combination: 12.8 billion, 23.2 million. 5. Numbers that start a sentence are always written as words.

Example: Three hundred twenty-one calls came in today.

6. Use a hyphen in fractions used either as nouns or modifiers.

Example: three-fourths of the space / a three-fourths majority

7. For decimals with a value less than one, use a zero before the decimal point to avoid confusion with preceding material.

Example: 0.18.

8. For decimals with a value greater than one, a zero must follow a decimal point:

Example: 3.0 (NOT 3.)

9. Use figures and words to distinguish adjacent numbers from each other.

Examples: twelve 10-inch shelves, 8 two-liter bottles, three-400 meter sprints.