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Q&A Expressing large numbers in dialogue?

Digits tend to be read faster and are less important. Spelling out numbers takes longer to read and are emphasized. So there are two things to consider: 1) How do people think of dates? Do you thi...

posted 8y ago by Lauren Ipsum‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-13T12:00:41Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/25938
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T05:54:18Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/25938
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2019-12-08T05:54:18Z (almost 5 years ago)
Digits tend to be read faster and are less important. Spelling out numbers takes longer to read and are emphasized. So there are two things to consider:

**1) How do people think of dates?** Do you think of this year as "twenty seventeen" or "two thousand seventeen"? Was Bill Clinton president in the "nineteen-nineties" or the "one thousand nine hundred nineties"? Use the intuitive phrasing.

**2) How much emphasis do you need to put on the date?** If they're jumping forward a few hundred years, then you can use digits, because it's close enough to be relatable:

> "The date appears to be late April 2432," she said.

If they've advanced several thousand years, then spelling it out will underscore just how far ahead they are:

> She looked at her screen in astonishment. "According to these readings, it's approximately the year twenty-four thousand, three hundred fifty-six."

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2017-01-08T23:00:14Z (almost 8 years ago)
Original score: 7