Do You Know How To Punctuate Numbers?

Once you get into big numbers it can be hard to know how to punctuate them. If you’re working with languages or speak another language, maybe you get confused with how to punctuate numbers correctly in English.

Learn how to punctuate numbers with our punctuation course Punctuation Pro.

Try this quiz on number punctuation!

Whether you’ve got a head for numbers or not, it’s easy to get confused with how to punctuate them correctly. There are commas, en dashes and hyphens to contend with. To make it more complex, lots of sources on the Internet use incorrect number punctuation. But never fear, we’re here to help with our fun quiz to help you punctuate numbers with confidence!

Questions 

1. How should compound numbers like 21 and 49 be punctuated?

a. With a hyphen (twenty-nine)

b. With no hyphen (forty nine)

2. Which punctuation mark is used in English as a thousand separator?

a. Decimal point

b. Comma

c. Hyphen 

3. Which punctuation mark is used in Spanish as a thousand separator?

a. Decimal point

b. Comma

c. Hyphen 

4. To punctuate a range of numbers, should you use a hyphen or an en dash?

a. Hyphen

b. En dash

5. If you use an en dash to punctuate a range of numbers, should there be a space around the en dash?

a. Yes

b. No

Scroll down for the answers!

1. a. With a hyphen

2. b. A comma: 3,000.

3. a. A decimal point: 3.000

4. b. Use an en dash to punctuate ranges of numbers e.g. years from 1975–2022.

5. b. No spaces. See example in the answer to question one.

Wondering about the best punctuation book to buy?

Learn professional punctuation skills!

Want to really learn how to punctuate? Join our Punctuation Pro course!

You may also like Best Books for Advanced English Learners or Best Books to Learn Advanced Spanish.