When should you use a numeral (1, 57, 197, etc.) and when should you spell the word out (one, fifty-seven, one hundred ninety-seven, etc.)? In general, spell out numbers less than 10, and use numerals for 10 or more:
- You can swim three events at nationals.
- I bought 12 postcards.
When you use a numeral, do not include the spelled-out alternative in parentheses after the numeral, and vice versa:
- WRONG: You can swim three (3) events at nationals. I bought 12 (twelve) postcards.
More specific guidelines follow.
Age
Always use numerals for people and animals, but spell out for inanimate objects:
- Michael Phelps first swam in the Olympics when he was 15 years old.
- The Kentucky Derby is a race for 3-year-olds.
- The rule change is two years old.
EXCEPTION: Use numerals for any age 10 or greater: The rule book is 16 years old.
Dimensions
Use numerals with inches, feet, yards, etc. (but spell out the unit of measurement instead of abbreviating) to indicate depth, height, length, and width:
- Short course is 25 yards or 25 meters long.
- Swimmers may not dive into 3-foot-deep pools.
If you need to convert from the English system to the metric system, or vice versa, use the following table:
|
To convert inches to centimeters |
Multiply by 2.54 |
|
To convert feet to centimeters |
Multiply by 30 |
|
To convert yards to meters |
Multiply by 0.91 |
|
To convert miles to kilometers |
Multiply by 1.6 |
|
To convert millimeters to inches |
Multiply by 0.04 |
|
To convert centimeters to inches |
Multiply by 0.4 |
|
To convert meters to feet |
Multiply by 3.3 |
|
To convert kilometers to miles |
Multiply by 0.62 |
Money
Use numerals with the $ sign: The entry fee is $25. Note that when stating a dollar amount, with no cents, it is not necessary to include a decimal point and two zeros: $25 not $25.00 (but $25.25). Use numerals plus the $ sign plus the word million (or billion, trillion, etc.) for amounts of $1 million or more. Use numerals plus the word cents for amounts less than $1 (25 cents).
Fractions
Spell out fractions less than one, and use hyphens: two-thirds, five-eighths. Use numerals for fractions larger than one, and convert to decimals whenever practical: 1½, 3.75.
Time of day
Use numerals for time of day, except for noon or midnight: The meet starts at 7:00 a.m.
Do not put a 12 in front of noon or midnight.
At the beginning of a sentence
Do not start a sentence with a numeral; spell it out, even if the rules would ordinarily call for a numeral:
- Seven hundred twenty swimmers participated in Elizabethtown nationals.
Often, though, it’s better to rephrase the sentence so you don’t begin it with a number:
- Elizabethtown nationals had 720 swimmers.
EXCEPTION: Use numerals if the first word in a sentence is a year: 1956 is the year I was born.
