“Three,” “3” and “III” are all symbols used to express the same number (or the concept of “threeness”). One could say that the difference between a number and its numerals is like the difference between a person and her name.
A simple rule for using numbers in writing is that small numbers ranging from one to ten (or one to nine, depending on the style guide) should generally be spelled out. Larger numbers (i.e., above ten) are written as numerals.
Answer. According to APA Style, you should normally use numerals for the numbers 10 and above. You should use words to express numbers below 10 (one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine).
It is generally best to write out numbers from zero to one hundred in nontechnical writing. In scientific and technical writing, the prevailing style is to write out numbers under ten. While there are exceptions to these rules, your predominant concern should be expressing numbers consistently.
AP Stylebook Numbers Rules
Spell out numbers nine and below; use numerals for numbers above 10. Avoid starting sentences with numbers; most can be spelled out, but years must appear as numerals, so try to write the sentence a different way.
Numbers are separated into groups: ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, millions, and so on. Each group contains three subgroups: ones, tens, and hundreds. When writing or reading a large number, begin at the left with the largest group, and proceed to the right.
“The Three-Letter Rule”
The Three-Letter Rule states that most content words have at least three letters, whereas one or two-letter words are mostly function words. This rule is especially helpful when trying to figure out how to spell a single-syllable word or when trying to decide which of two homophones to use.
Numerals should be used for numbers 10 and above, but numbers nine and below should be spelled out. 2. Spell out numbers at the beginning of a sentence. A number that begins a sentence should be spelled out rather than noted as a numeral, even if the number is below 10.
Throughout human history, the number 3 has always had a unique significance, but why? The ancient Greek philosopher, Pythagoras, postulated that the meaning behind numbers was deeply significant. In their eyes the number 3 was considered as the perfect number, the number of harmony, wisdom and understanding.
Fractions as Words
For instance, we would write “2/3” as “two thirds”: He ate two thirds of the pizza by himself! This applies for most fractions. But there are two exceptions that have their own words: half (1/2) and quarter (1/4).
Numbers with two or more digits should be written as numerals unless they are at the start of a sentence (see examples). Numbers between 1000 and 9999 should contain no punctuation. Numbers with five or more digits should include commas (not decimal points or full stops).
She is a 5-foot-2 point guard. NUMBERS: from twenty-one to ninety-nine, when spelled out, are hyphenated. FRACTIONS: Hyphenate a fraction when it is used as a adjective (e.g., a two-thirds majority). Write as two words when used as a noun (e.g. two thirds of the participants).
Spell out numbers under 10 (zero through nine), and use the numeric symbols for numbers 10 and up. I bought eight candy bars from the vending machine.
[M] [T] He has three daughters. [M] [T] She has three brothers. [M] [T] I only spent three dollars. [M] [T] I'll call for you at three.
Some writers think of a comma as a soft pause—a punctuation mark that separates words, clauses, or ideas within a sentence. Therefore there is no limit on the number of commas that we may use in a sentence.
Numbers up to and including ten should be spelled out in full. Numbers after and including 11 should be written using numerals. Very large numbers should be written by combining a figure and a word such as million or billion. Fractions should generally be written in full and hyphenated in prose.
The reason is, simply, preference and writing style. If you can write one of these faster by hand, you'll use that more naturally because it's quicker. You may also train yourself to write a certain way, if you do really prefer one over another, but so long as it's readable it's fine to use any.
3. Every sentence must have a subject and a verb. An object is optional. Note that an imperative sentence may have a verb only, but the subject is understood.
Children as early as 3 years old can spell simple 3-letter words orally. Exposure to the tools of spelling, that is the alphabet through songs and reading to them early gives them the building blocks to understanding that letters make words.
Numbers up to nine should always be written in words, anything higher than nine can be written in numerals. Alternatively, some guides suggest that if you can write the number in two words or fewer then use words rather than numerals.
We pronounce 2/3 as two-thirds, 3/4 as three-fourths, and 6/8 as six-eighths.