According to the latest UseIt AlertBox, it’s better to use “23″ than “twenty-three” to catch users’ eyes when they scan Web pages for facts.
Tips from the article when writing for the Web:
- Write numbers with digits, not letters (23, not twenty-three).
- Use numerals even when the number is the first word in a sentence or bullet point.
- Use numerals for big numbers up to one billon:
- 2,000,000 is better than two million.
- Two trillion is better than 2,000,000,000,000 because most people can’t interpret that many zeros.
- As a compromise, you can often use numerals for the significant digits and write out the magnitude as a word. For example, write 24 billion (not twenty-four billion or 24,000,000,000).
- Spell out numbers that don’t represent specific facts.
Just another reminder that writing for the web is so different than the print writing we were all taught. Thanks for another great insight that can help all our users Jacob!
Dan Bowling is a web designer in Missoula, Montana.
Copyright © 2007 Dan Bowling. All rights reserved.