Numbers, dates and times
Numbers, dates and times
Numbers
Write out the number in words if it starts a sentence.
| Like this... | Not like this... |
|---|---|
| Eleven herbs and spices in our fried chicken recipe. | 11 herbs and spices in our fried chicken recipe. |
When the number is below 10, write the word.
| Like this... | Not like this... |
|---|---|
| There was only one pizza left on the shelf. | There was only 1 pizza left on the shelf. |
| I saw someone with 12 pizzas in their trolley. | I saw someone with twelve pizzas in their trolley. |
Dates
Use the 24-hour clock with a colon between the hour and minutes.
| Like this... | Not like this... |
|---|---|
| At 14:00 the crow will call. | At 2pm the crow will call. |
Write out dates in words, rather than suffixes or slashes in dates, unless space doesn't allow you to do so.
| Like this... | Be careful with... |
|---|---|
| 3 September 2021 | 3/9/21 |
| 3 Sep 2021 | 03/09/2021 |
Times
For approximate times, round to the nearest whole number. Remember to write numbers below 10 as words.
| Like this... | Not like this... |
|---|---|
| You last logged in two minutes ago. | You last logged in 2 minutes ago. |
| You last logged in five minutes ago. | You last logged in 4.5 minutes ago. |
| You last logged in 10 minutes ago. | You last logged in ten minutes ago. |
Zulu time should be used when writing for times that involve other countries.
| Like this... | Not like this... |
|---|---|
| The food will be delivered at 1400z (07:00 EST). | The food will be delivered at 0700. |