Percentages — Figures and the Word 'Percent'
Numbers
Rulebase Summary
When percentages appear in transcript text, write the number in figures and spell out the word 'percent.' Do not use a hyphen when a number and 'percent' form a compound expressing a ratio (a 10 percent increase, not a 10-percent increase).
Examples
A. Only 15% of the employees were present.
A. Only 15 percent of the employees were present.
Write the number in figures and spell out the word 'percent.'
A. There was a 10-percent increase in claims.
A. There was a 10 percent increase in claims.
Do not hyphenate when a number and 'percent' form a compound expressing a ratio.
Transcript Notes
When percentages are used in transcripts, write the numbers in figures and spell out the word 'percent' (8 percent, 20 percent, from 2 to 6 percent).
If the percent is at the beginning of the sentence, use words if it is not too long to spell out (Sixty-two percent favored the change; 62.7 percent favored the change). If percents are given in a series, the percent sign may be used (10%, 20%, 30%, 40%).
Do NOT use a hyphen when a number and the word 'percent' form a compound that expresses a ratio (3 percent decline, not 3-percent decline).
Style Guide References (2)
Morson's
BGGP