How we write about numbers, dates and times
We use a clear and consistent approach to writing numbers, dates and times so that content is easy to scan, read and understand.
Numerals are used instead of words, and we follow simple formatting rules for large numbers, phone numbers and millions.
Dates are written in full, without ordinals, and times follow a 12-hour format with ‘am’ and ‘pm’. We avoid unnecessary punctuation and use plain language to support accessibility and clarity.
Numbers
Our approach is to
- use numerals instead of words when we write numbers – this helps users scan our content
- use commas and no spaces to separate thousands when the number is over 10,000
- talk about numbers in the millions by writing the word ‘million’ instead of writing out the number in full
- use spaces to separate groups of numbers when we write phone numbers.
Dates and times
Our approach is to
- write dates as day, month, and year in full
- don’t use ordinal numbers, like 1st or 3rd, in dates – if they are in text, we say ‘third’ or ‘fifth’
- show time using a 12-hour clock and add ‘am’ or ‘pm’, and don’t include unnecessary zeros
- use ‘midday’ not 12:00 or 12pm, and ‘midnight’, not ’00:00′ or 12am
- show start and end times in full
- spell out the names of days and months in full.
We use ‘to’ instead of an en dash in date and time ranges as it’s easier for people to understand, and for screen readers to read out.