Numbers and ranges

Guidelines
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Orthography and grammar
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Numbers
Use numerals for ranges.

  • Full numbers

    In ranges, always write numbers in full to avoid ambiguity.

    Exemple no admissiblebetween 18 and 20,000 people

    Exemple adequatbetween 18,000 and 20,000 people

    Exemple no admissiblepages 123–5

    Exemple adequatpages 123–125


  • En dashes

    Use a closed-up en dash (–) to indicate a range. Do not use a hyphen (-). Therefore, not

    Exemple no admissiblegroups of 5-10 students


    but

    Exemple adequatgroups of 5–10 students


    To type an en dash, press Alt+0150 using the numbers on your numeric keypad. (To activate this function, make sure to turn on the numeric lock key, which is called Bloq Núm or Num Lock on most keyboards.)  

  • Symbols

    In ranges, repeat those symbols and units that are joined to a numeral.

    100°C–150°C
    between 100°C and 150°C
    20–30 cm
    from 20 to 30 cm


For advice on spacing, see Spacing.
Universitat de Barcelona. Serveis Lingüístics
Darrera actualització: 14-9-2023
Recommended citation:
«Numbers and ranges» [en línia]. A: Llibre d’estil de la Universitat de Barcelona. Barcelona: Universitat de Barcelona. Serveis Lingüístics. <https://www.ub.edu/llibre-estil/criteri.php?id=2379> [consulta: 23 novembre 2024].