Auto - Marsha has asked how to write out a percentage, because she has been told to at work. It seems to me that she really does want to find an answer, not just discuss the point, so to say she shouldn't do it at all is not really helping.

Also, in legal areas it is essential to be exactly accurate to what has been said, promised, etc. If the figure 4.975% is relevant, it needs to be recorded in its original form, not rounded and, apparently, in words (to ensure clarity when read out?).

Marsha - no doubt the job you needed this advice for has been done by now, but here is my best guess at the right way to write a percentage out:

I remember a physics teacher telling me that, as a nice and clear way to tell when you were talking about numbers before or after a decimal point, after the point you should dispense with units, tens, hundreds, etc. and just list off the numbers. So, as Chris suggested, 4.975% becomes "four point nine seven five percent".

Percentage came to us as part of the metric numeric system, along with metres, litres and kilos, all of which use decimals not fractions. Therefore it seems inappropriate to me to use the imperial convention of fractions when reading a percentage.

At the end of the day though, consistency is the most important rule. However you write out percentages, if you and your collegues do it the same for long enough, THAT will be the correct way.

Fryett Aug-31-2006

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