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
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.
License: CC-BY-4.0 · 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.
Cite this
iinventedlight. 2026. "Use the numbers readers use: few, whole, and in common terms." iinventedlight Library, iil:note:1k72r9v7, version of 2026-11-09. https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-numbers-readers-use/. License: CC-BY-4.0.
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title = {{Use the numbers readers use: few, whole, and in common terms}},
howpublished = {iinventedlight Library},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-11-09},
url = {https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-numbers-readers-use/},
note = {Permanent ID iil:note:1k72r9v7. License: CC-BY-4.0.},
}Spotted a mistake? Use the MCP feedback tool or email hello@iinventedlight.com.
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