Writing Tip: Writing Numbers

A dear Write and Polish friend consulted us today as to the "rules" of numbers -- of writing them as words versus using the numerals. Our advice was:

The simplest guide is that numbers below 10 are written, and those 10 and above are in numerals.

But there are many exceptions, for

• Category (measurements, dates, very large numbers, etc.),
  
• Place in the sentence/in proximity to other numbers (aka, within "eyeshot"),
  
• Specific style needs (AP and APA use the single-digit scheme, above, CMOS has numbers written up to ninety-nine, and MLA has a hybrid set of specifications) -- For most writing, especially business/marketing, we think AP is a smart way to go.

You can find a nice basic rundown of what to do when here