Number formats
For more number formats, use the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook on first reference, and the Microsoft Manual of Style on second reference.
Basic standards
- For numbers 10 and higher, use numerals. For numbers lower than 10, spell out numbers. See correct examples:
- Yes – "We offer this service in nine countries."
- Yes – "Over 200 companies use this service."
- In headlines and "pull quotes", where the number is the focus, use numerals. See correct examples:
- Yes – "1 in 3 shoppers ..."
- Yes – "We're #1"
- Use numerals for all numbers in the following cases:
- Units of measurement, including inches, acres, pounds, mph, and percentages
- Street addresses Example: 9 Franklin St.
- For large numbers, we use a comma.
- Correct example: 200,000 - never "200k" or "200 thousand"
- Exception: In large-format printing, we can use "200k" to add impact. Where this can be used: Posters, billboards, and small internet banners where space is tight.
Addresses
See Addresses section in Content Formats.
Percentages
In regular text, write out "percent". However, the "%" sign can be used in call-outs, graphics, and large-format content (Example: posters).
Example:
- No – "Merchants have reported increased sales of up to 130%"
- Yes – "Merchants have reported increased sales of up to 130 percent."
Money
Do not add a space between the symbol and the number. For example:
- Incorrect - "$ 2"
- Correct - "$2"
Do not add a decimal for whole numbers. For example:
- Incorrect - "$2.00"
- Correct - "$2"
Use a comma for numbers under a million: For example:
- Incorrect - "$2000"
- Correct - "$2,000"
- Incorrect - "$1,200,000"
Do not abbreviate "million": For example:
- Incorrect - "$1.2m"
- Incorrect - "$1.2mil"
- Correct - "$1.2 million"
Dates and times
Dates
- Do not abbreviate months of the year when they appear by themselves or with a year. ... Correct example: "September 2015"."
- Months:
- March, April, May, June, and July are never abbreviated in text.
- The remaining months are only abbreviated when followed by a date (Jan. 27).
- Abbreviations to use: Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.
- Never abbreviate ...
- Days of the week ... Correct example: Use "Wednesday", not "Weds.".
- Years ... Correct example: Use "2017", not "'17".
Correct Examples:
- The conference begins ...
- In September
- In September 2017
- Sept. 8
- Friday, Sept. 8
- Friday, Sept. 8, 2017
- Date-range format, in a sentence: The conference runs Sept. 8-12, 2017.
Times
General Usage:
- Formatting. Use numerals and "am" or "pm" without a space. Example: 10am.
- Omit ":00". Don't use minutes for on-the-hour time.
- Example: Exclude minutes for "7am"; include minutes for "10:30pm".
- Use "noon" and "midnight". Do not use 12pm and 12am.
Time Ranges:
- Use a hyphen between times to indicate a time period. For example:
- 7am-10:30pm
- Exclude the "am" and "pm" when times are both either in the morning or after noon. For example:
- No – "6am-9am"
- Yes – "6-9am"
- Simplify range language. For example:
- No – "Holiday store hours go from 8am-10pm."
- Yes – "Holiday store hours are 8am-10pm."
Time Zones:
- Formatting. When a time is not adjusted by the system to reflect the current time zone, append the time zone after the time. ... Correct examples: "7:30am CT", "7-10:30am CT"
- Do not indicate standard or daylight time. ... Correct example: Central Time is written as "CT", not "CST" or "CDT".
- Do not use military time. ... Incorrect example: Using 19:40, instead of 7:40pm.
