Numbers

Updated on Apr 3, 2026

When you include numbers in online content, use a consistent writing approach.

General

Commonly, single-digit, two-digit, and multi-digit figures follow different writing conventions.

Guidelines

  • For integers between zero and nine, use words unless you are referring to a product name or version number. Note that for numbers in tables and other space-constrained places, you can use digits.

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  • For integers greater than nine, use digits.

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  • For decimals, use period-separated digits.

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  • For ranges, always use digits and an en dash (– in Markdown or HTML). Do not add intervals before or after the short dash.

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  • Do not begin sentences, titles, headings, or captions with a number. If you cannot rewrite the text element to not start with a number, spell out the number.

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