IV. OTHER ABBREVIATIONS INVOLVING THE USE OF NUMERALS.
The use of numerals and the spelling of numbers in full will be found treated at length in the Printer's Manual of Style (No. 42). As the use of the numeral is in a sense an abbreviation a few general rules may properly be given here.
1. Spell out ages;
eighty-two years and four months old.
in his eighty-third year.
children between the ages of six and fourteen.
2. Spell out references to decades;
in the early eighties.
The form in the '80s, is very objectionable.
3. Spell out numbers of centuries, of sessions of Congress, of military bodies, of political divisions, of Egyptian Dynasties, of streets, and the like unless lack of space renders the abbreviation absolutely necessary.
Twentieth century.
Forty-second Congress.
One hundred and first Pennsylvania Infantry.
Eighteenth Dynasty.
Ninth Ward.
Fifth Avenue.
In case numerals are used, Egyptian Dynasties are always designated by Roman numerals. Writers on Egypt usually use this form:
XVIIIth Dynasty.
4. Spell out sums of money when occurring in ordinary reading matter in isolated cases:
That press cost five thousand dollars.
When several such numbers occur close together, and in all statistical matter, use figures.
Those three presses cost $2,500, $3,600, and $5,000.
5. Spell out round numbers, that is, approximate numbers in units of 100 in numbers of less than 1000 and in units of 1000 if the numbers are more.
An army corps numbers forty thousand men.
The Fifth Corps numbers 37,462.
There are about five hundred officers.
Write fifteen hundred and the like when the phrase is in common use, not one thousand five hundred.
6. Spell out all numbers, no matter how high, when they begin a sentence.
Four thousand nine hundred and sixty-four soldiers, 109 officers, and 10,000 civilians were surrendered with the fort.
7. Spell out in ordinary reading matter all numbers of less than three digits, unless they are of a statistical or technical character or occur in groups of six or more in close connection.
There are sixty cities in the United States with a population of 100,000 or over.
a ninety-ton engine.
five pounds of butter.
He lived only two years, one month, and twenty days.
He spent 137 days in prison.
A ratio of 16 to 1.
The death rate varies from 1 in 15 to 1 in 65.
Send home:
2 pounds of butter
1 pound of sugar
½ pound of coffee
¼ pound of tea
2 pecks of potatoes
1 pound of salt pork
2 pounds of lard
1 quart of milk
Treat all numbers in collected groups alike if possible, that is use either the long or the short form for all. If the largest contains three or more digits use figures for all.
They came in groups of 50, 80, 100, and even 200.
8. Express in figures as a rule decimals, degrees, dimensions, distances, enumerations, money, (but see 4 above), percentage, weights, and the like.
.542, 98°, 9 cubic yards, 37 miles, 24 pages, $1000,
6 per cent (or 6% but never six %), 175 pounds.
V. GEOGRAPHICAL ABBREVIATIONS.
Geographical names are ordinarily not abbreviated in text matter. The abbreviations in the subjoined lists are commonly recognized and may be used in lists, bibliographical matter, and elsewhere where condensation is desired.
United States and Territories
| Ala. | Alabama | N. D. | North Dakota |
| Alaska | Alaska | Neb. | Nebraska |
| Ariz. | Arizona | Nev. | Nevada |
| Ark. | Arkansas | N. H. | New Hampshire |
| Cal. | California | N. J. | New Jersey |
| Colo. | Colorado | N. M. | New Mexico |
| Conn. | Connecticut | N. Y. | New York |
| D. C. | District of Columbia | Ohio | Ohio |
| Del. | Delaware | Okla. | Oklahoma |
| Fla. | Florida | Ore. | Oregon |
| Ga. | Georgia | Pa. | Pennsylvania |
| H. I. | Hawaiian Islands | P. I. | Philippine Islands |
| Idaho | Idaho | P. R. | Porto Rico |
| Ill. | Illinois | R. I. | Rhode Island |
| Ind. | Indiana | Samoa | Samoa |
| Ia. | Iowa | S. C. | South Carolina |
| Kan. | Kansas | S. D. | South Dakota |
| Ky. | Kentucky | Tenn. | Tennessee |
| La. | Louisiana | Tex. | Texas |
| Me. | Maine | T. H. | Territory of Hawaii |
| Mass. | Massachusetts | Utah | Utah |
| Md. | Maryland | Vt. | Vermont |
| Mich. | Michigan | Va. | Virginia |
| Minn. | Minnesota | Wash. | Washington |
| Mo. | Missouri | Wis. | Wisconsin |
| Mont. | Montana | W. Va. | West Virginia |
| N. C. | North Carolina | Wyo. | Wyoming |
Foreign Countries