Rules for Writing Numbers

Numbers do not only show up in math assignments, but also in everyday writing. Like most
things in the English language, there are rules for writing numbers. Yes, imagine that! There are
certain numbers that we spell out in letters, while there are others that we only write in
numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.). You have probably come across more than your fair share of Top 10
lists. Why is it not Top Ten list? Keep reading to find out.
Numbers that Are Spelled Out
Please note that there are some exceptions to the rules outlined below. As with other grammar
rules, rules for writing numbers change according to certain style guides (i.e. Chicago Manual of
Style, AP, MLA, etc.). However, here are some general rules for spelling out numbers.
Numbers Under 10:
Martin has two younger sisters and five older brothers. Note: Some style guides
recommend spelling out the numbers one to one hundred.
Numbers at the Beginning of a Sentence:
Sixty children came to the class trip last year, but this year there were 80.
Fractions (usually hyphenated):
About one-third of the class comes from China. Note: However, the exception to this rule is
when it is a mixed fraction. We then use numerals (unless it comes at the beginning of a
sentence). Example: The recipe calls for 1 cups of nuts.
Numbers that Require Numerals
Numbers 10 and Above:
She has bought about 12 pairs of shoes and 15 dresses in the last three months. Note:
When numbers are in a list it is best to keep all the numbers in the list consistent, even if
numbers are under 10.
Correct: She has four brothers aged 5, 7 12, and 15.
Incorrect: She has four brothers aged seven, nine, 12, and 15.

Dates and Years:

School begins on August 27, 2009. Note: We do not use ordinal numbers (i.e. 1st, 2nd, 3rd
with full dates).
Correct: The play is on March 23, 2010.
Incorrect: April 1st, 2001.

Percentages:
According to the latest survey 52% of teachers live in the city. Note: If a percentage begins
a sentence, it should be spelled out. Example: Fifty and one-half percent of students walk
to school.
Decimals:
 There was 0.73 inches of rain last month.
More than One Rule
The following are special cases and are often written in multiple ways.
Decades:
1. She lived in San Francisco in the eighties.
2. During the 1980s she lived in San Francisco.
3. She lived in San Francisco in the 80s.
Time:
We usually spell out the time when it is followed by o'clock or when a.m. or p.m. is not
mentioned. However, we use numerals when we need to emphasize the exact time and when
using A.M. and P.M.
Examples: o'clock
Correct: We have to get up at six o'clock to be on time for school.

Correct: She gets home around eight in the evening.

Incorrect: We have to get up at 6 o'clock to be on time for school.

Examples: a.m., p.m.

The accident happened at 8:22 p.m. last night.

They did not leave the party until 2 a.m.

We usually spell out noon and midnight instead of writing 12:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m.
Example: We came home around midnight and slept until noon the next day.
Large Whole/Round Numbers:
If there are only a few words, we often spell out.
Examples:
He earned two million dollars last year. or He earned $2 million last year.
Can you loan me twenty dollars?
For larger numbers we write in numeral form ($5, 385, 673)
Final Note
When in doubt about whether to spell out or write numbers, it is usually best to spell out the
numerals.
Number words

In Old English, it was spelt feuortig...by the 14th century (Chaucer) it was spelt fourty... and not until the
very end of the 17th century was it spelt forty. In other words, it - like multitudes of other English words
- went through a process of simplification over time.

The words four and forty obviously have the same root if you go back far enough, but they were actually
pronounced with distinct vowel sounds in many past dialects of English (and still are in some present
ones). Four was pronounced with a "long o" sound, while forty was pronounced with a "short o" sound.*
Apparently, the vowel in forty was shortened at some point in history (the spelling variations may give
some clue; another way to find out would be to see what pronunciations were recommended by
orthopists at different times). This is analogous to the difference in the pronunciation of the "ow"
in know and knowledge.

How does this relate to the spelling? Well, in general, the digraph "ow/ou" is not used in English to
represent a "short o" sound. The word knowledge that I just mentioned is an exception, but there are
not many other words like it. So for speakers who pronounce forty with a "short o" sound, the
spelling forty reflects the pronunciation better than the spelling fourty. I would guess this contributed
towards the eventual standardized spelling without "u".

More details about these two vowel sounds

Spelling words in Maths

Here are some words that you'll come across in

Maths lessons.
Using the chart as a guide, try to memorize all of them.

Look back at exercises mem1 and mem2 before you start.

WORD SYLLABLES DIFFICULT BITS

addition add-i-tion remember -dd-

approximately ap-prox-i-mate-ly -pp-

average a-ver-age -age unclear vowel sound

calculate cal-cu-late

centimetre cent-i-me-tre

circumference cir-cum-fer-ence begins like circle

co-ordinate co-ord-i-nate remember hyphen: o-o

diameter di-a-me-ter ending: -ter (not tre)

digit dig-it -g- for the j sound

equilateral e-qui-lat-er-al don't leave out 2nd -e

estimate es-tim-ate

fraction frac-tion

guess one syllable only don't forget silent -u-

horizontal ho-riz-on-tal -tal (not tle)

isosceles i-sos-ce-les -sc- -les

 measure mea-sure mea- tricky vowel sound

Cardinal number Ordinal number

1 one first

2 two second

3 three third

4 four fourth

5 five fifth

6 six sixth

7 seven seventh

8 eight eighth

9 nine ninth

10 ten tenth

11 eleven eleventh

12 twelve twelfth

13 thirteen thirteenth

14 fourteen fourteenth
15 fifteen fifteenth

16 sixteen sixteenth

17 seventeen seventeenth

18 eighteen eighteenth

19 nineteen nineteenth

20 twenty twentieth

30 thirty thirtieth

40 forty fortieth

50 fifty fiftieth

60 sixty sixtieth

70 seventy seventieth

80 eighty eightieth

90 ninety ninetieth

100 one hundred one hundredth

1000 one thousand one thousandth

Tips for spelling numbers that are often troublesome:

Watch the E when spelling words with nine:

NINE - NINTH - NINETEEN - NINETY

Of these, only NINTH does not have an E.

Beware of problems with U when

spelling four numbers.
FOUR - FOURTH - FOURTEEN - FORTY

Of these, only FORTY does not have a U.

The letter V only appears in the word FIVE.

FIVE - FIFTH - FIFTEEN - FIFTY

 Cardinal number Ordinal number

1 one first

2 two second

3 three third

4 four fourth

5 five fifth

6 six sixth

7 seven seventh

8 eight eighth

9 nine ninth

10 ten tenth

11 eleven eleventh

12 twelve twelfth

13 thirteen thirteenth

14 fourteen fourteenth

15 fifteen fifteenth

16 sixteen sixteenth
17 seventeen seventeenth

18 eighteen eighteenth

19 nineteen nineteenth

20 twenty twentieth

30 thirty thirtieth

40 forty fortieth

50 fifty fiftieth

60 sixty sixtieth

70 seventy seventieth

80 eighty eightieth

90 ninety ninetieth

100 one hundred one hundredth

1000 one thousand one thousandth

Tips for spelling numbers that are often troublesome:

Watch the E when spelling words with nine:

NINE - NINTH - NINETEEN - NINETY

Of these, only NINTH does not have an E.

Beware of problems with U when

spelling four numbers.
FOUR - FOURTH - FOURTEEN - FORTY

Of these, only FORTY does not have a U.

The letter V only appears in the word FIVE.

FIVE - FIFTH - FIFTEEN - FIFTY

Numbers and Symbols for Maths

The short form of mathematics in British English is maths and in American English it's math.

Can you add, subtract and do your multiplication tables in English? Before you can do the math
you need to understand the question. Learning English for math means learning numbers,
words, and symbols.

Addition +

1 + 2 = 3
Five plus three equals eight.
One and six is seven.

Subtraction -

7 - 6 = 1
Three minus two equals one.
Eighteen subtract four is fourteen.

Multiplication x

5 x 6 = 30
Seven times three equals twenty-one.
Two multiplied by three is twelve.

Division
9 3 = 3
Six divided by three equals two.
Five goes into fifteen three times.

Other Maths Symbols:

< less than

> greater than

fractions

% percent

90 degrees

1.666 decimals

Word problems

Word problems are maths questions written in sentences. Here are some for you to try!

1. Two monkeys collected 15 bananas. One monkey collected 7 bananas. How many
bananas did the other monkey collect?
2. Johnny had six apples on Sunday. On Monday, Johnny gave Sally half of his apples. On
Tuesday, he ate one of his apples. How many apples did Johnny have left on
Wednesday?
3. Three women thought they were pregnant with twins. Two of the women were right.
The third woman was surprised with triplets. How many babies were born?

Answers: Question 3: 7. Question 1: 8. Question 2: 2.

Numbers to Words 1-50

The words for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight,
nine and ten.

The words for 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 are: eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen,
fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen and twenty.

After twenty, there is a pattern to the words. The tens place uses the words twenty, thirty,
forty, fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty and ninety for 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90.

If the ones place has more than zero, the word is formed by using the ten's place word, a
hyphen, and then the ones place word. Examples are:
38 is thirty-eight
84 is eighty-four
25 is twenty-five