Numbers

When used in written text, spell out numbers one through nine and general numbers (dozens, a thousand); use figures for 10 and above. (An exception is when numbers are used in a headline.)
If a number is the first word of a sentence, always spell it out.

Example: The organization’s founders included four faculty members and 21 students, but the group recruited hundreds more. Fifty first-time entering freshmen joined the organization last year.

Percentages are expressed as figures, and spell out the word “percent.”

Example: The assignment was 5 percent of the final grade, and 90 percent of the class passed.

For very large sums of money, use figures with a dollar sign; spell out million or billion.

Example: UALR received a $2.7 million grant through the U.S. Department of Education to expand its Reading Recovery program.