One of the smaller yet still important questions writers face when drafting an essay is how to write out or type numbers within the text. There are differing styles and guidelines depending on the subject matter, publication, or personal preference. Overall, most style guides recommend a consistent approach, whether that means always spelling out numbers or always using digits, with some exceptions for clarity or brevity. Let’s explore the options and best practices around writing versus typing numbers in an essay or other academic work.
Spelling Out Numbers
The traditional rule followed by many style guides is to spell out any number from zero to one hundred and any number that begins a sentence. For example, you would write ‘twenty-three students responded to the survey’ and ‘One hundred twenty-three respondents agreed with the proposal.’ Spelling out makes numerical amounts clearer and easier to read in running text rather than relying on digits alone.
Some publications like scientific or financial journals often advise always using digits even for numbers below one hundred for the sake consistency and precision when large quantities are involved. In contrast, creative nonfiction or literature may call for spelling out all numbers for a more storytelling, flowing writing style.
The key thing is selecting one approach and applying it uniformly throughout your work. Readers can follow written-out numbers more easily in short to moderate length pieces. Longer works may benefit from a mix of spelling out and digits depending on context as discussed further below. Always check your publication’s style guide first and follow their numerical writing guidelines if available.
Using Arabic Numerals
Using Arabic numerals, also called digits, for all numbers rather than spelling them out can help writing appear more concise and graph/data-heavy in technical documents. The format also makes it easier to understand quantities at a glance instead of parsing individual letters. Digits avoid any confusion over written numerals like eight versus ate or five hundred versus five hundredth.
Some general guidelines when using digits call for writing out a number if it is the first word of a sentence. You could restructure the sentence to avoid this issue altogether if desired for consistency. Common style recommendations also say to spell out ordinal numbers like third instead of 3rd so they are clearly distinguished from cardinal numerals.
Hybrid Approaches
For longer prose pieces, a hybrid approach combining digits and spelling out numbers can help maintain clarity and readability throughout. The key is maintaining consistency in how and where you switch between the two formats based on the following general guidelines:
Spell out numbers zero to one hundred when they appear within sentences. Use digits for 101 and above.
Use digits for all numbers with greater than four digits, like 10,000 or 5,687,294 to avoid cluttering up text.
Consider using digits for all measurements, dates, times, percentages, statistics, ratios, and values in charts/tables for uniformity.
Spell out any ordinal or fractional numbers such as third, two-thirds, one-fifth instead of mixing formats.
Use digits for any numbers that refer to pages, chapters, variables, sample sizes or other numeric identifiers.
One issue to watch for is not overusing digits to the point they may detract from readability. Maintaining a balance of spelling out shorter numbers and using digits for longer values or data ensures numerical clarity without jarring readers too often between formats within a single paragraph or section.
Special Cases and Exceptions
There are also some cases where style guides recommend exceptions to the general rules around writing out versus typing numbers. For example:
You may always use digits for years like 2021 for consistency regardless of position in a sentence.
Spell out simple fractional amounts like one-half but use digits for more complex fractions like 13/16 for precision.
Altrough hyphenated compounds are usually spelled out like twenty-one, use digits if the compound refers to a specific value like a measurement.
Numbers at the beginning of a sentence are typically always written out to aid readability unless restructuring avoids this case.
If including a series of numbers, use the same format (all digits or all spelled out) for consistency even if some are above or below 100.
Use common sense too – no need to write out numbers like passwords, ID codes, or numeric values that only make logical sense as digits.
Final Tips
Choose one format—either always spelling out or always typing numbers—and apply it consistently throughout non-technical prose writing. Consider a hybrid approach of formats for very long-form academic or research works. Maintain clarity above adhering rigidly to rules. And always defer to your publication’s style guide first if available for submission requirements. With practice, choosing how to handle numbers will become second nature, keeping your writing clear and cohesive in this minor yet meaningful stylistic choice.