Rule B.9: Numbers in Textual Sentences

B.9(a): Generally

TLR follows Bluebook Rule 6.2 and CMOS 9.2 for guidance on numbers in textual sentences. “One hundred” should be spelled out per CMOS 9.2 unless it is being used as a percentage, then the numeral 100 should be used.

YES:	Andrew is sixty-two years old. Cassidy is 102 years old
YES:	They burned, respectively, 117, 3, and 15 homes.
YES:	Forty Staff Editors completed cite checks.
YES:	There were one hundred marbles in the jar. The sign said 100% of the marbles were blue.

B.9(b): Four-Digit Non-Year Numbers

However, TLR does not follow Bluebook Rule 6.2(a)(vii) where a four-digit number is used but is not in reference to a year. In such situations, a comma should be used to separate the last three digits.

YES:	The Act will expire in 2012.
YES:	The referendum needed 9,352 votes to become law.

B.9(c): Year Range

When a year range is used, all digits should be retained in the second year within the range. An en-dash should still be used for the range per RR A.8(b).

YES:	For the academic year 2021-2022, students had the option of attending class in person due to the Coronavirus.

B.9(d): Generic and Approximate Quantities

Generic and approximate quantities are to be written out rather than in numerals, while exact quantities should typically be in numerals.

YES:	Over two thousand fans attended the Temple football game.
YES:	The attendance at the Temple football game was 2,244, calling into question the need for a new stadium.

Return to Red Rules

* Brynn C. Chafin, Temple University Beasley School of Law, 2024. Introduction On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump was sworn into office for his second term as President of the United States of America.[1] Although his administration has and will continue to affect all parts of American life, it will impact the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act […]

By Fiona Burke, Temple Law Review Volume 96 Staff Editor Liberals have, as exit polls and Bernie Sanders point out, largely lost the working class and, in fact, most of America. There are many reasons for this, all of which have been dissected and analyzed ad nauseum in the past few weeks and likely will be for even years. One such […]

Author: Jasnoor Hundal In early August 2023, the Supreme Court stayed the Second Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision, In re Purdue Pharma L.P., and granted certiorari to hear oral argument in December of 2023. The parties were asked to brief and argue “[w]hether the Bankruptcy Code authorizes a court to approve, as part of a […]