Writing Tips has been archived and won’t be updated before it is permanently deleted.
For the most up-to-date content, please consult Writing Tips Plus, which combines content from Writing Tips and The Canadian Style. And don’t forget to update your bookmarks!
Write out numbers used figuratively:
Numbers with a long succession of zeros, as well as numbers in the millions or higher, should be written as a combination of words and figures:
However, note that if the number preceding million, billion, etc., is a whole number below 10 that is not used with a unit of measurement, it is usually spelled out:
Numbers are normally rounded to no more than three significant digits. Thus 2 653 000 becomes 2.65 million, not 2.653 million.
The proper form for large numbers that must be written in full is as illustrated:
The practice of writing a number in full and then repeating it in numerals in parentheses should be reserved for legal documents:
© Public Services and Procurement Canada, 2024
TERMIUM Plus®, the Government of Canada's terminology and linguistic data bank
Writing tools – Writing Tips
A product of the Translation Bureau