Writing out numbers

  • Cardinal numbers

    Spell out cardinal numbers from zero to nine and use numerals from 10 upwards, but maintain consistency in the immediate context.

    Exemple adequatEvery three sessions, the students will be organized in new groups of five.

    Exemple adequatThe Board will be reviewing a total of 10 new master’s degrees and 12 new doctoral degrees.

    Exemple adequatThe presentations should last between five and ten minutes.


    Note that apart from its use in calculations, dates, lists, etc., the concept of zero is usually expressed with the word no, instead of the numeral 0.

    Exemple adequatThere were no students in the classroom.


  • Ordinal numbers

    Spell out ordinal numbers from zero to nine and use numerals from 10 upwards, but maintain consistency in the immediate context. Avoid superscript type.

    Exemple adequatThe Second International Conference on Fluid Dynamics was held in Vic.

    Exemple adequatThe oldest European university was founded in the 12th century.

    Exemple adequatIn this year’s ranking table, the research groups Pattern Analysis and Sonar Imaging occupied third and eleventh position, respectively.


  • Roman numerals

    Use Roman numerals for course names.

    Exemple adequatMathematics II


  • Fractions

    Spell out simple fractions and hyphenate them when you use them as adjectives.

    Exemple adequatA two-thirds majority vote is required to approve the proposal.


    However, avoid hyphens when the fraction is used as a noun.

    Exemple adequatTwo thirds of the students were in agreement.

    Exemple adequatThe lecturer has covered three quarters of the course so far.


  • Numbers at the beginning of a sentence

    Spell out numbers (including years) at the beginning of a sentence, although it is better to rewrite the sentence so that it does not start with a numeral.

    Exemple adequatNineteen forty-five was the year the UN was founded.

    Exemple adequatThe UN was founded in 1945.


  • Plural numbers

    Add an s to form the plural of a numeral. Do not add an apostrophe.

    Exemple adequatAmong the scores were four 94s and two 99s.
Darrera actualització: 14-9-2023
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Recommended citation:
«Writing out numbers» [en línia]. A: Llibre d’estil de la Universitat de Barcelona. Barcelona: Universitat de Barcelona. Serveis Lingüístics. <https://www.ub.edu/llibre-estil/criteri.php?id=2376> [consulta: 24 abril 2024].
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