---
source: https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-numbers-readers-use.md
title: "Use the numbers readers use: few, whole, and in common terms"
license: CC-BY-4.0
license_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
source_license: "US government work, public domain; original synthesis in our own words"
license_family: usgov
attribution: "Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), CDC Clear Communication Index: User Guide, US government work, public domain; U.S. Government Publishing Office (govinfo), GPO Style Manual (2016), Chapter 12: Numerals, US government work, public domain."
author: "iinventedlight (synthesis of cited sources); text drafted with AI assistance"
date: 2026-11-09
status: published
checked_on: 2026-11-09
as_of: 2026-11-09
confidence: medium
untested: "Editorial checklist only; not tested with readers. Sources fetched and evidence checked."
category: coverage-gaps
topic_area: "write-comm"
tags: [plain-language, numbers, write-comm, cdc-cci]
client: Librarian
sources:
  - id: S1
    title: "CDC Clear Communication Index: User Guide"
    publisher: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
    url: https://www.cdc.gov/ccindex/pdf/clear-communication-user-guide.pdf
    accessed: 2026-11-09
    license: "US government work, public domain"
  - id: S2
    title: "GPO Style Manual (2016), Chapter 12: Numerals"
    publisher: U.S. Government Publishing Office (govinfo)
    url: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2016/pdf/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2016-14.pdf
    accessed: 2026-11-09
    license: "US government work, public domain"
---
# Use the numbers readers use: few, whole, and in common terms

**Answer:** Keep only the numbers that support or explain the main message, and express them in common terms. Delete unnecessary numbers.

## Rules (CDC Clear Communication Index, items 15 and 20)

- Percentages, decimals, fractions, and other numbers common in research are challenging for most people to make meaning from.
- Many people have difficulty with very large and very small numbers and with measurement units such as milligrams.
- Without research on your audience, use numbers most often used by non-experts, such as whole numbers.
- Before: "Eighty-one percent ... about 1.96 hours a day." After: "8 out of 10 ... about 2 hours a day."
- People generally understand natural frequency expressions (1 in 4) more easily than percentages (25%).
- Combine numbers, words, and visuals that match and reinforce the meaning of a probability rather than presenting numbers alone.

## Figures, not words

The GPO Style Manual's general principle: the reader comprehends numerals more readily than numerical word expressions.

## See also

- [plain-explain-numbers-do-the-math](https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-explain-numbers-do-the-math/)
- [plain-numerals-vs-words](https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-numerals-vs-words/)

## Claims

- id: C1
  claim: Choose only numbers that support the main message.
  source: S1
  evidence: "Make sure you choose numbers necessary to support or explain the main message statement,"

- id: C2
  claim: Delete unnecessary numbers.
  source: S1
  evidence: "Delete unnecessary numbers."

- id: C3
  claim: Natural frequencies are easier than percentages.
  source: S1
  evidence: "natural frequency expressions (1 in 4) than percentages (25%)."

- id: C4
  claim: Numerals are easier to grasp than number words.
  source: S2
  evidence: "the reader comprehends numerals more readily than"

## Sources

- [S1] CDC Clear Communication Index: User Guide. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). https://www.cdc.gov/ccindex/pdf/clear-communication-user-guide.pdf . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-09.

- [S2] GPO Style Manual (2016), Chapter 12: Numerals. U.S. Government Publishing Office (govinfo). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2016/pdf/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2016-14.pdf . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-09.


License: this note is CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: US federal government works (GSA, GPO, SEC, CDC), public domain in the United States; third-party quotations inside those works were not used. Text was condensed and changed from the originals.

---

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