ABBREVIATION
NUMBERS AND
SPELLING
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Abbreviatio ion, both in
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Numbers, and
and and professional
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ACRONY
MS
• Words formed from the initial letters of a phrase,
pronounced as a word.
• Examples: NASA (National Aeronautics and Space
Administration), UNICEF (United Nations
International Children's Emergency Fund).
INITIALIS
MS
• Like acronyms, but each letter
is pronounced separately.
• Examples: FBI (Federal Bureau
of Investigation), DIY (Do It
Yourself).
SHORTENED
WORDS
• Commonly abbreviated words
that retain their basic
structure.
• Examples: etc. (et cetera), vs.
(versus), approx.
(approximately).
Capitalize
d
abbreviat
Do not use periods or spaces
between letters in
abbreviations that are
ionscapital letters.
primarily
• Example: AD, AH, CE,
BCE, BC
• Example: PhD, MD
• Example: FL, US
Name
abbreviat
ions
Use periods and spaces
between each abbreviated
letter in a name, unless the
name is entirely abbreviated.
• Example: H. P. Lovecraft
• Example: MLK
Lowercas
e
abbreviat
Place a period after most
abbreviations that end in a
lowercase letter.
ions
• Example: vol. (volume)
• Example: ed. (edition)
• Example: p. (page)
Honorific
abbreviations
For most honorific abbreviations, capitalize the first
letter and place a period after the last letter.
• Example: Dr. (doctor)
• Example: Rev. (reverend)
• Example: Mr. (mister)
• Example: Mrs. (married woman)
• Example: Ms. (does not indicate marital status)
• Example: Mx. (gender neutral honorific)
If the abbreviation consists of lowercase letters that
each stand in for a word, use a period but no space
between each abbreviated letter.
• Example: a.m., p.m.
• Example: i.e.
Common
informal
abbreviations
Avoid using common informal
abbreviations in academic
writing.
• Example: Television (not
TV)
• Example: Refrigerator (not
fridge)
Month
abbreviations
Avoid abbreviating months in
the body of your work. In the
works cited page, abbreviate
months that are more than
four letters long.
• Example: Jan., Feb., Mar.,
Apr., May, June, July, Aug.,
Sep., Oct., Nov., Dec.
NUMBERS
For works in which numbers are infrequent,
use the word form of numbers that are only
one or two words long. Use numerals when
more than two words would be required:
• Example: Thirteen
• Example: Two thousand
• Example: Sixty-seven
• Example: 6½ (not six and a half)
• Example: 107 (not one hundred and
seven)
• Example: 10,256 (not ten thousand, two
hundred fifty-six)
For works in which numbers are frequent,
such as works involving data reports, use
numerals for numbers expressed in ratios or
units of measurement.
• Example: 12 feet
• Example: 35 kilograms
• Example: a 5:3 ratio
When a number must be expressed as a
numeral, any numbers that appear next to
them should also be numerals.
• Example: Only 5 of the 8-ounce cans were
cold.
• Example: She ordered 1 coloring book and
153 crayons.
Street
addresses
Use numerals for numbers that
appear in a street address. For
suffixes like first, second, third, or
fourth, do not format the text in a
superscript font.
• Example: 2727 Mansfield Blvd.
• Example: 2003 1st Street
Decimals
Use numerals for numbers that
are expressed as decimals.
• Example: 10.3
Money and
For works in which numbers are infrequent, use the word
percentages
form of percentages or amounts of money if you can do so
in three words or less.
• Example: Five percent
• Example: Thirty-three percent
• Example: Ten million dollars
• Example: $5.35 (not five dollars and thirty-five cents)
• Example: $110 (not one hundred and ten dollars)
• Example: 502% (not five hundred and two percent)
• Example: 2.33% (not two point thirty-three percent)
For works in which numbers are frequent, use numerals
with any appropriate percentage or money symbols. Do
not use symbols like $ or % with the word forms of
Numbered
series
Numerals should be used for
items in a series.
• Chapter 2
• Page 47
• Phase 1
Large numbers
For large numbers, a combination
of numerals and words is
accepted.
• Example: There were
approximately 5.5 million
Americans affected by the bill.
Pluralizing
numbers
For the word form of numbers, pluralize
using the standard rules for noun
pluralization.
• Example: Five – Fives
• Example: Sixty – Sixties
• Example: Zero – Zeroes
For the numeral form of numbers, pluralize
by adding an s to the end of the number.
• Example: 88s
• Example: 1950s
Beginning sentences with
numbers
Do not begin a sentence with a numeral, even if it
appears next to a number that must be expressed
as a numeral. Either begin the sentence with the
word form of a number or rephrase the sentence so
the numeral appears later in the sentence.
• Correct: Five hundred fifty-four out of 555
dentists recommend the product.
• Correct: The product is recommended by 554
out of 555 dentists.
• Incorrect: 554 out of 555 dentists recommend
the product.
Dates
Do not abbreviate dates. Use numerals for the numbers in
dates. For the body of your work, choose either day-month-
year or month-day-year format and use your chosen format
consistently. When using month-day-year style, place a
comma after the year unless there is another punctuation
mark that follows it. For the works-cited page, day-month-
year format must be used.
• Example: I will turn twenty-three years old on 1 January
2023.
• Example: I will turn twenty-three years old on January 1,
Dates
When referring to a month and a year or a season and a
year, do not use commas to separate the two elements.
• Example: I was born in January 2000 in Ocala, Florida.
• Example: I’m really excited for summer 2023.
Dates
When referring to a decade, choose either to use numerals or
word forms, and use your chosen format consistently.
• Example: The nineties
• Example: The 90s
When referring to a decade, choose either to use numerals or
word forms, and use your chosen format consistently.
• Example: The nineties
• Example: The 90s
Dates
Use numerals when referring to years in an era. The era
abbreviations AD and AH are placed before the year, while
the era abbreviations BC, BCE, and CE are placed after the
year.
• Example: AD 2015
• Example: AH 1010
• Example: 400 BC
• Example: 400 BCE
• Example: 2015 CE
Times
When referring to times of the day, generally use numerals
and the twelve-hour-clock format.
• Example: 2:15 p.m.
Time zones may either be abbreviated or spelled out.
• Example: 12:00 EST
• Example: 12:00 Eastern Standard Time
Use word forms to express time-related phrases.
• Example: Five o’clock
• Example: Half past five
• Example: A quarter to five
SPELLING
Common Mistakes:
• Homophones: Words that sound alike but have different
meanings and spellings.
⚬ Examples: their/they’re/there, to/too/two,
affect/effect.
• Commonly Confused Words:
⚬ Examples: advice (noun) vs. advise (verb), accept vs.
except, loose vs. lose.
• Silent Letters:
• Many English words have silent letters that are not
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Numbers Spelling must
Abbreviations adhere to
should be used should be
established
sparingly and written out or
rules, including
consistently. in numeral
homophones
form based
and silent
on context.
letters.
THANK
YOU
