Numbers

Spell out numbers when:

  • They are at the beginning of a sentence.
    • Yes: Fifteen new Insight Providers started last week.
    • No: 15 new Insight Providers started last week.
  • They span numbers 1 to 9. The same should be applied to ordinals (first, second, etc.).
    • Yes: The investor identified three promising opportunities.
    • No: The investor identified 3 promising opportunities.
    • Yes: It is the Insight Provider’s third mention in the press.
    • No: It is the Insight Provider’s 3rd mention in the press.
    • Yes: The fund has 27 portfolio companies.
    • Yes: It’s the investor’s 12th successful exit.
  • Numbers that are over three digits get commas:
    • 999
    • 1,000
    • 150,000
  • Numbers up to 999,999 should be written in full. Above that, use “1 million”, “2 billion”, and so on. Only abbreviate smaller numbers in case of space constraints, like a social media post or a chart: “1k, 150k, 1m, 2b”.