Spread Out Numbers Contract For Free

The general rule is that all numbers ten and below should be spelled out and numbers 11 and above should be put in numerals. However, there are certain exceptions to this: If numbers recur through the text or are being used for calculations, then numerals should be used.

Fortunately, the rules about numbers in writing are much easier ? and more scintillating ? than the definitions of words related to numbers. The Chicago Manual of Style, The Bluebook and the ALWD Guide to Legal Citation all suggest spelling out numbers from zero to ninety-nine.

Legal Writing Tip: It's All in the Numbers Spell out numbers below 10 and big round numbers. ... If you chose to spell out multi-word whole numbers between 22 and 99, use hyphens. ... Also use hyphens when those numbers are part of bigger numbers. ... When writing large numerals, use commas.

Some lawyers say it provides clarity. Some say it helps to identify the numbers as numbers (really?). Some do it because ?it's always been done that way.? And others do it to make themselves look important. Those justifications just don't add up (see what I did there?).

Many lawyers love to write numbers twice ? Some lawyers say it provides clarity. Some say it helps to identify the numbers as numbers (really?). Some do it because ?it's always been done that way.? And others do it to make themselves look important.

It probably comes from the days before the printing press when contracts were handwritten. Then it would have been easy for a scoundrel to alter a number. Spelling out the word too made that harder. Perhaps that is why some people still hand write checks that way.

If the number is approximate (e.g. 'around six hundred years ago') it should be spelled out. Very large numbers should generally be expressed without using rows of zeros where possible (e.g. $3.5 million instead of $3,500,000). In contracts, the use of both words and numbers is common in order to increase certainty.