Using numerals for fractions in measurements, tables of results, equations, and other primarily numerical data.Īnd in the rest of this post, we will look at cases where you need to be careful about how you write fractions.
Writing fractions as words in the main text of a document. It ultimately comes down to which style guide you are using, so make sure to check if you have one. We received feedback from 17/24 of the participants. Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter!īut numerals may be clearer in cases like this: We received feedback from seventeen twenty-fourths of the participants. You can also do this for longer or more complex fractions: The subject completed two thirds of the exercises. The subject completed 2/3 of the exercises. But many style guides suggest writing out simple fractions as words in formal writing: So, when should you write fractions as words and when should you write them as numerals? In less formal writing, as long as your meaning is clear, this is simply a matter of preference. Should You Write Fractions as Words or Numerals? However, you can use “fourths” in place of “quarters” in American English. But there are two exceptions that have their own words: half (1/2) and quarter (1/4). He ate two thirds of the pizza by himself! 
The denominator as an ordinal number (e.g., third, fifth, sixth).įor instance, we would write “2/3” as “two thirds”:. The numerator as a cardinal number (e.g., one, two, three). When writing fractions as words, you need to give: The correct format is usually a matter of preference, but you should check your style guide for advice if you are using one. But we could also use a division slash between superscript and subscript numbers (e.g., 1∕ 2, 2∕ 3) or a horizontal line known as a vinculum. In the examples above, we have simply used a forward slash between the two numbers. There are various ways to write fractions as numerals. 
For instance, if we cut something into three parts, each part would be “1/3,” and two parts would be “2/3”:
To write fractions as numerals, do it with the numerator above the denominator, separated by a line. But what are the rules about writing fractions? When should they be numerals and when should they be words? Let’s take a look.
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