Index
- Dollar Amounts
- Numbers That Start a Sentence
- Numbers That Are Measurements
- Numbers That Are NOT Measurements
- Numerical Phrases That Require Hyphens
- Numbers in a Series
- Number Shortenings
- Fractions
- Decimals
- Times of Day
- Ordinals
- Expressions
Dollar Amounts
Use the $ sign for “grand/dollars/bucks/kay.” Spell out "millions/billions/trillions" and do NOT abbreviate with M, B or T. With dollar amounts and percentages, always match the audio to the best of your ability. If the speaker does NOT mention dollars, bucks, et cetera, the dollar symbol should be omitted.
Example
- He had over $1 million.
- He was 50 percent vested. (Note that we spell out "percent" with no symbol)
- Five thousand dollars/five grand/five bucks/five kay -> $5,000
- That's a five or six thousand dollar wand -> That's a $5,000 or $6,000 wand!
- The four-bedroom house was listed for 400,000. (No symbol if "dollars" isn't in the audio)
Foreign Currency
On occasion, you may work on a job where the speakers mention non-US currency. This may be British pounds, euros, yen or a variety of other types of money. Use careful judgment to asses whether a special symbol is essential to the context of the show. Oftentimes, a Reference Sheet will inform you if this is a necessity, but this will not always be the case.
Example
Audio: A Dalek from 1966 sold at auction for 38,000 pounds in 2016.
You Type: A Dalek from 1966 sold at auction for £38,000 in 2016.
However, if the monetary unit is ambiguous, always fall back on our normal standards use the dollar sign.
Example
Audio: I went to the UK and bought a Tesla for only 2 million bucks!
You Type: I went to the UK and bought a Tesla for only $2 million!
Numbers That Start a Sentence
Spell out most numbers at the start of a sentence. Exceptions are specific years and special content.
Example
- Forty years was a long time to wait.
- Fifteen to 20 cars were involved in the accident.
- 1992 was a great year.
- 311 is her favorite band.
Numbers That Are Measurements
Numerical figures should be used for any type of quantifiable measurement. This includes any unit of time, length, volume, age, percents and so forth. Note that most of these numerals would still be spelled out if starting a sentence.
Example
- We have 4 feet of lumber and three zombies to smash in 2 hours.
- Fifteen years ago, I started saving 9 percent of my earnings.
- The girl is 19 years old.
- She's as cute as a 2-month-old cat.
Special Exception
Two-by-four: The specific cut of lumber should always be spelled out per Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Other cuts of lumber should still be formatted numerically.
Example
- This room will be a mix of two-by-four studs and 2-by-6 rafters.
- Yes, we have plenty of two-by-fours over here.
- This entire house was built out of 1-by-1s, so I can't say it has good bones.
Numbers That Are NOT Measurements
Spell out general numbers one through nine.
Example
- The Yankees have two great closers.
- There have only ever been nine witch cats in 50 years of the museum's history.
Use figures for 10 or above.
Example
- There were 11 people gathered.
- You can't have 1 million toes. (Spell out the word "million, billion, trillion, etc.")
Numerical Phrases That Require Hyphens
Hyphens should only be used for measurement constructions used as adjectives.
Example
- Let's make a 4-by-6-inch wand for giants.
- I have a 2-2/3-inch issue with my pants.
- I'm a 7-4 giant with hands 3 feet wide.
- I'm a 7-foot-4 giant with hands 3 feet wide.
- I'm a 2-foot-1-inch non-giant with hands an inch long.
Use hyphens for ages expressed as adjectives before a noun or as substitutes for a noun.
Example
- The boy is 5 years old, but he speaks the wisdom of a 50-year-old.
- The boy, 7, has a sister, 10.
- I really enjoyed the three-bed, two-bath fixer-upper.
Numbers in a Series
For numbers in a series, apply the standards to each element in the series.
Example
I have 9 inches, six cats, 2 1/2 bedrooms and 12 closets to work with.
Number Shortenings
An important part of processing Custom work is understanding the variations in how people speak in order to capture the intended meaning. However, if a speaker is paraphrasing a numerical amount, the meaning may not always be clear. For number shortenings that are not real numbers, scribe out what is said verbatim
Example
- We'll pay two twenty-nine nine for that house and not a penny more. ("Two twenty-nine nine" is not a real number.)
- The witch cat has, like, five hundred twenty-nine thirty thousand hundred dollars stashed under the kitty litter!
- Mayday, mayday. This is flight 451, vector two niner, niner five, going down.
Special Exception
Slang that is not considered a regional dialect or a known defined term should be converted if possible. As stated above in the "Dollar Amounts" section, convert most these instances to reflect the intended monetary meaning.
Example
Audio: I'll pay a buck fiddy.
You Type: I'll pay $1.50.
Audio: He's got 50K in his bank account.
You Type: He's got $50,000 in his bank account.
Fractions
For general fractions that are not measurements, spell out if less than one. Use figures for all fractions that are greater than 1, also known as compound fractions. Fractions of any amount that are also measurements should be treated the same as other numerical measurements, and they should be formatted numerically.
Example
- My cat is two-thirds witch cat.
- Well, that's half your problem.
- My pick would be the two-bedroom, 3-1/2-bath.
- Let's go another 1 1/2 miles to the lookout point.
- The recipe calls for a 1/2 cup of half-and-half.
Decimals
Use figures for all decimals. Decimals are most commonly used with units of measurement but may be detached. For decimals less than one, include zero before the decimal even if not stated.
Example
We have amounts of 0.63, 1.5 and 9.99.
Audio: "point six three" -> 0.63
Note we do not convert fractions to decimals or vice versa.
Times of Day
For times of day, use figures. Use a.m./p.m./o'clock as appropriate. Only use the colon if specific minutes are dictated.
Example
Audio: The witch cat had a meeting at three pm. There's no way the cat can make it at three o'clock.
You Type: The witch cat had a meeting at 3 p.m. There's no way the cat can make it at 3 o'clock.
Let's all thrash some zombies at 9:15.
Note that it is 3, instead of 3:00.
Note that all the numerals are included for 9:15 because specific minutes are included in the audio.
Use "oh" appropriately in place of zero when having to spell out a time.
Example
Incorrect: Three O seven in the morning is too late for a pizza.
Correct: Three oh seven in the morning is too late for a pizza.
Ordinals
Generally, spell out ordinals zero through nine, figures for 10 and greater, figures for dates.
Examples
- She's starting her fourth year of college.
- He scores his 10th touchdown of the season.
- Christmas Day is December 25th.
Expressions
Spell out numbers used in expressions not meaning a precise measure of time.
Examples
- Give me one minute.
- Give me one second.
- Never in a million years.
- She wants to adopt a witch cat one day.
Lastly, keep in mind job type or reference sheet instructions for number formatting always take precedence over our general standards.