How to write number ranges (a complete guide)

Ever wondered how to correctly write number ranges? Should you use a hyphen, en dash or em dash? How about whether or not to use spaces? And whether to use ‘from’ and ‘to’ instead of all these pesky dashes? Wonder no more.

Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, business proposals or blog posts, sooner or later you will be faced with a similar dilemma to these beauties (answers at the bottom of the page):

• Do I write “2000 – 2050”, “between 2000 – 2050” or “from 2000 – 2050” (Hint: it’s none of these)
• Is it “from £50 — £100”, “£50–£100” or “between £50 and £100”? (Hint: two of these are correct)
• Should I write “two to 10”, “2–10” or “from 2-10”? (Hint, one of these is correct)

I’ll go over some general rules of punctuation, spacing and grammar for number ranges, then we’ll look at specific examples when dealing with ranges of years, temperatures, currencies and more.

A quick note: I’ve used italics for correct examples, and speech marks for incorrect examples, to avoid confusion.

General rules for number ranges

Hyphen, en dash or em dash?

When writing ranges of numbers, most style guides agree on the use of an en dash (although the AP style guide prefers a hyphen). Do not use an em dash.

If you need a refresher on the difference between the three types of dash, here you have it:

• Hyphen (-) The shortest of the three, and the one most often used incorrectly with spaces when an en dash without spaces is needed (unless specifically using AP style).
• En dash (–) The champion of the hour. This is the little guy – or gal – you need for number ranges. So called because it’s the length of a lower-case ‘n’.
• Em dash (—) The longest of the three dash types. It has its specific uses, but a number range is not one of them. And, you guessed it, it’s the length of a lower-case ‘m’.

How to type an en dash?

I get it. It’s one thing to know which dash to use, it’s a whole other kettle of balls to find the thing on your keyboard. The hyphen is easy, it’s always there, whether on Mac or Windows, faithfully sharing real estate with the underline.

To type an en dash:

• Mac users – Option + hyphen key (on your Mac the Option key may be labelled Alt)
• Windows users – More complex. The only method I’ve found to work on my Windows 10 laptop is via the emoji window. To get this to pop up, tap the Windows key + full stop/period key (.) Select the ‘Symbols’ icon (third tab along at the time of writing) and you’ll find the en dash on the ‘General punctuation’ tab (denoted by ‘<‘). Other methods that may work for you (they don’t for me, even with number lock on) are: Alt + 0150 on the numeric keypad (or with NumLock on), or Ctrl + minus key on the numeric keypad.

For the sake of completeness, to get an em dash: Mac users hit Option + Shift + hyphen key; Windows users use the same instructions as for the en dash if using the emoji window, or Alt + 0151 if you have a separate numerical keypad (or if NumLock works for you), or Ctrl + Alt + minus key.

Spacing

When dealing with number ranges, generally speaking you do not include a space either side of the en dash. Keep things cosy by closing those gaps. No social distancing needed:

• 1997–2001: Chief cook and bottlewasher at Berni Inn.
• Read chapters 7–9 before Friday.
• It must have been 1–2 degrees yesterday. My fingers were numb!

When dealing with number ranges, generally speaking you do not include a space either side of the en dash. Keep things cosy by closing those gaps. No social distancing needed – How to write number ranges (a complete guide) Click To Tweet

Grammar

There are three ways you can express ranges of numbers, whether you’re dealing with years, ages, temperatures, page numbers and more:

1. Use the en dash, as we’ve seen, e.g. 1–10 years
2. From/to, e.g. From 1 to 10 years
3. Between/and, e.g. Between 1 and 10 years

It’s the very existence of this choice that leads to confusion. One of the most common errors I see when editing and proofreading is mixing two of the three methods listed above. The following examples are both incorrect:

• “I spent between £150–£200.” (Mix of the ‘between/and’ option and use of the en dash)
• “We have to read from page 5–25 before next week.” (Mix of the ‘from/to’ option and use of the en dash)

When deciding which of these three methods to use, bear in mind that if you’re writing for the web, or for a document that will be read on screen, not all screen-reading software (used by people with visual impairment) can interpret en dashes. In this case, it’s best to use words rather than dashes (from…to or between…and)

Don’t mix numerals and words

Many style guides (usually for non-fiction) advise using words for numbers below 10 (two, seven etc), and numerals for 10 and above (13, 145, 78, 585).

That’s all well and good, but what about a number range that starts below 10 and ends above 10?

Consistency rules.

In other words, use digits for the number below 10: There were 8–12 children in the park.

Elision in number ranges

‘Elision’ in the context of number ranges is a fancy term for chopping off the start of the second numeral in the range. The following ranges contain elided numbers:

• 41–2
• 156–7
• 1987–92

Style guides vary in their advice regarding elision in number ranges. Below are the Chicago rules, with a table below comparing my example number ranges with Oxford style (AP style doesn’t appear to specify an elision rule – if you know otherwise, drop me a note in the comments!):

• Use all the digits (so no elision) if at least one number in the range is from 1 to 100, e.g. 2–10, 67–69, 82–323.
• For multiples of 100, use all the digits, e.g. 100–107, 300–329, 2,200–2,254.
• If at least one number in the range is between 101 and 109, 201 and 209, 301 and 309 etc, only show what has changed, e.g. 103–9, 308–64, 4,201–8.
• In all other cases, use two digits (unless more than two digits are required to show what has changed), e.g. 286–89, 593–678, 1,053–56, 2,869–4,001.
• Do not omit any Roman numerals in number ranges; they are always written in full, e.g. xxvi–xxvii.

Actual number range	Chicago	Oxford
2–10	2–10	2–10
67–69	67–69	67–9
82–323	82–323	82–323
100–107	100–107	100–107
300–329	300–329	300–29
2,200–2,254	2,200–2,254	2,200–54
103–109	103–9	103–9
308–364	308–64	308–64
4,201–4,208	4,201–8	4,201–8
286–289	286–89	286–9
593–678	593–678	593–678
1,053–1,056	1,053–56	1,053–6
2,869–4,001	2,869–4,001	2,869–4,001

Note that Oxford prefers to elide to the fewest figures possible, with the exception of teens (10 to 19) because of the way they are said out loud.

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Number ranges for years and dates

Range of years

When writing a range of years, both Chicago Manual of Style and Oxford advise the following when using an en dash:

• If the years are within the same century and do not include an ’00’ year, omit as many digits as possible, e.g. 1201–67, 1939–45, 2001–9.
• If the two years indicated are of different centuries, or include the ’00’ year, do not omit any digits, e.g. 1234–1387, 1800–1801, 1999–2009.
• However, where a range including two years of the same century occurs in a title, do not omit any digits, e.g. The War of the Roses, 1455–1487.
• Also, when showing the dates a person lived, include all digits, e.g. Charles Dickens (1812–1870)

The Oxford Style Guide adds that if the two dates are approximate, repeat the c. abbreviation for each date, e.g. c. 1345–c. 1578 (c. should be in italics, with a space following).

The AP style is not very forthcoming in this respect, but my online digging suggests that AP prefers repeating two digits for year spans below 10 years, but you may also repeat all digits. For a range over 10 years, repeat all four digits.

You can also use the pairings ‘between…and…’ and ‘from…to…’ for year ranges, but remember to use only one of these formats, not a hybrid:

• From 1990 to 1995 (not “From 1990–1995” and not “Between 1990–1995”)
• Between 2000 and 2010 (not “From 2000–2010” and not “Between 2000–2010”)

BC and AD, or BCE and CE

BC/AD and BCE/CE are abbreviations used in the Gregorian calendar – the global standard for the measurement of dates. Either BC or BCE refer to years before the birth of Jesus; either AD or CE refer to years after the birth of Jesus.

BCE and CE are the secular versions of BC and AD respectively:

• BC – Before Christ
• AD – Anno Domini (in the year of the Lord)
• BCE – Before common (or current) era
• CE – common (or current) era

In your number range, if both dates are AD, there is no need to include the abbreviation ‘AD’, although some writers prefer to include it for clarity if the year is before the first millennium:

• 1234–1387, 1800–1801, 1999–2009, AD 3–AD 10, AD 675–AD 700
• From 1234 to 1387, from AD 3 to AD 10
• Between 1800 and 1801, between AD 3 to AD 10

If one or both dates are BC, you need to include BC/AD as appropriate. While you could argue that it should be obvious if a date range is wholly BC due to the numbers counting backwards, it is best to include BC for clarity. Some general rules from the Oxford style guide:

• Write AD/BC in small caps (not all style guides stipulate this anymore, so it’s worth checking the guide you adhere to. I haven’t used small caps here.)
• BC goes after the year, while AD goes before it (because it means “in the year of the Lord”) (Chicago style also stipulates this)
• Leave a space between the abbreviation and the year (also in Chicago style)
• Year spans in BC are always written in full (not elided) because an elided date could be misread as a complete year (due to the years counting ‘backwards’) (not sure if this is in Chicago style, but it seems basic common sense to me!)

Some examples:

• 20 BC–AD 100; from 20 BC to AD 100
• 436 BC–354 BC; from 436 BC to 354 BC
• 187 BC–125 BC (not elided to 187 BC–25 BC); from 187 BC to 125 BC

When a date is approximate and spans BC and AD, the Oxford Style Guide says to write it as follows: c. 17 BC–c. AD 78 (c. should be in italics, with a space following).

Range of dates

When writing date ranges, the rule is the same as for ranges of other numbers. Use an en dash with no spaces between the two dates (as per Chicago style).

NB. The examples below use the UK date order of day, month, year. The US order is month, day, year, and usually has a comma before the year, unlike the usual way of writing the date in UK English.

Also NB. These date ranges are inclusive (the event taking place within the date range ends on the second date, not the day before).

• Use whole date (day, month, year) if years are different, e.g. 1 January 1990–5 February 1995.
• Only include the year after the second date if the months are the same, e.g. 1 January–5 February 1990.
• Only include the month and year after the second date if these are the same, e.g. 1–5 January 1990.

As with a range of years, you can also use the pairings ‘between…and…’ and ‘from…to…’, but, repeat after me, no hybrid versions that mix these with the en dash format:

• From 1 January 1990 to 5 February 1995 (Also acceptable in the US is: From 1 January 1990 through 5 February 1995)
• Between 1 January 1990 and 5 February 1995

Years other than calendar years

When you need to show a span of years, for example, an academic year or a tax year, different style guides advise different formats.

The Oxford style guide says to use a solidus, or slash, and elide years (even BC years):

• 78/7 BC
• tax year 2001/2
• academic year 1997/8

AP style advises the use of a hyphen in place of an en dash, as a slash may not be transcribed correctly in some systems:

• 78-7 BC
• tax year 2009-10
• academic year 1997-8

Chicago style sticks with the en dash, as for any other elided number range:

• 78–7 BC
• tax year 2009–10
• academic year 1997–8

Ranges of ages

When writing an age range using the expression “year-old”, include a hyphen after both digits. Alternatively, avoid hyphens by rewording the sentence. For example:

• This game is suitable for 3- to 12-year-olds.
• This game is suitable for children aged 3 to 12. (“ages 3 to 12” is also used, and “aged 3 through 12” is common in US English).

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Number ranges for times

12-hour clock

When writing a time range, you can use either a closed-up en dash (i.e. no spaces) or “from” and “to”. For example:

• 5.30–6.30
• from 5.30 to 6.30

For times on the hour, avoid including “00”:

• 5–6
• from 5 to 6

If you’d like to use “a.m.” and “p.m.”, and both times are in the morning, or both times are in the evening, only use “a.m./p.m.” with the second time:

• 5.30–6.30 p.m. (one hour)
• 5.30 a.m.–6.30 p.m. (11 hours)
• 5–6 p.m. (one hour)
• 5 a.m.–6 p.m. (11 hours)
• from 5.30 to 6.30 p.m. (one hour)
• from 5.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. (11 hours)

Check your house style for whether to use a colon or full stop/period between the hours and minutes.

NB. Oxford style (New Hart’s Rules), Chicago Manual of Style and AP style all put a space before “a.m.” and “p.m.”, and use full stops/periods. For other styles, check their reference guide.

Please note that “12 a.m.” is midnight and “12 p.m.” is midday/noon.

24-hour clock

When writing times using the 24-hour clock, avoid “a.m.” and “p.m.”, use a leading zero for single-digit hours, and use “00” for times on the hour. Other than that, the advice for 24-hour clock time ranges is the same as for the 12-hour clock:

• 05.30–06.30
• 05.00–06.00
• 05.30–18.00
• 05.30–18.30
• from 05.30 to 06.30 (this “word” format is less likely for 24-hour clock)

Please note that “00:00” is midnight, and “12:00” is midday/noon.

Number ranges for currency

The first thing to note here is that most styles advocate repeating the currency symbol to avoid confusion. And yes, you’ve guessed it, use an en dash with no spaces:

• £100–£120
• $450–$455

Again, it is perfectly acceptable to use the pairings ‘between…and…’ and ‘from…to…’ but once more with feeling: don’t cross-pollinate:

• Between £100 and £120 (not “Between £100–£120”)
• From $450 to $455 (not “From $450–$455”)

Don’t use a mix of numerals and words, or a mix of currency symbol and currency word in the same range (or even in your whole document – aim for complete consistency). So, don’t write “From one hundred pounds to £120” (incorrect) or “Between $450 and five hundred dollars (incorrect).

Finally, bear in mind any possible misunderstanding when writing currency ranges involved high numbers. For example, “From one to five million pounds” could mean either “£1–£5,000,000” or “£1,000,000 to £5,000,000”. If there is room for doubt, write out both numbers in full: From one million to five million pounds.

"From one to five million pounds" could mean either "£1–£5,000,000" or "£1,000,000 to £5,000,000". If there is room for doubt, write out both numbers in full: From one million to five million pounds. – How to write number ranges (a… Click To Tweet

Number ranges for page numbers

For Chicago style, the same rules apply here as we’ve already seen for generic number ranges. To recap:

• Use en dash (not hyphen or em dash) with no spaces either side.
• Use all the digits (so no elision) if at least one number in the range is from 1 to 100, e.g. 2–10, 67–69, 82–323.
• For multiples of 100, use all the digits, e.g. 100–107, 300–329, 2,200–2,254.
• If at least one number in the range is between 101 and 109, 201 and 209, 301 and 309 etc, only show what has changed, e.g. 103–9, 308–64, 4,201–8.
• In all other cases, use two digits (unless more than two digits are required to show what has changed), e.g. 286–89, 593–678, 1,053–56, 2,869–4,001.
• Do not omit any Roman numerals in number ranges; they are always written in full, e.g. xxvi–xxvii.

In addition, ‘p’ or ‘pp’ should only be used where it isn’t clear that the numbers denote page numbers.

This Proofed post on Chicago-style page numbering gives more detail.

Oxford style for page number ranges is also consistent with the guidance for generic number ranges. Refer to the table above showing the differences between the Chicago and Oxford systems, but in short, the Oxford style advises to:

• Use en dash (not hyphen or em dash) with no spaces either side (same as Chicago).
• Elide to the fewest figures possible – i.e. only repeat digits where absolutely necessary, with the exception of teens (10 to 19) because of the way they are said out loud.

Note that the Oxford style tends to make use of ‘pp.’ for a date range, unlike Chicago, e.g. pp. 67–78.

Take a look at this Proofed article on Oxford-style referencing for more information.

Number ranges for units of measurement

First off, a bonus tip: Most style guides agree that there should be a space between a numeral and its unit of measurement, if the unit is a word or abbreviation of that word (12 kg rather than 12kg, for example). If a symbol is used, close up the space (5ºC, 12′, 66%). However, if you’re working to a style guide, check their preference, as they may stipulate closing the space in all instances, or using a space before certain symbols (e.g. temperatures in AP style).

Now that’s out of the way, let’s get onto number ranges for units of measurement. If the unit is the full word, or an abbreviation of that word (feet/ft, metres/m, kilos/kg etc), you would only use the unit of measurement after the second number in the range:

• 90–100 degrees
• 20–25 ft
• 6–7 kg

However, if a symbol is used (%, ºC, ‘ etc), then use it after both numbers:

• 50%–55%
• 5.4’–5.5′

Percentage ranges and temperature ranges are covered in more detail below.

Number ranges for percentages

As with other number ranges, use an en dash with no spaces for percentage ranges.

Most style guides seem to agree on repeating the per cent symbol in a range, e.g. 15%–20%.

You could also express a percentage range using the pairings ‘between…and…’ and ‘from…to…’. You know what I’m going to say, don’t you? No cross-breeding between the different formats:

• From 15% to 20% (not “From 15%–20%”)
• Between 15% and 20% (not “Between 15%–20%”)

Chicago style advises using the word “percent” (this would be “per cent” in British English) in non-technical content, and the symbol “%” in technical documentation. Always use a numeral in Chicago style with percentages.

Oxford style says to use a numeral followed by the symbol “%” in all cases, rather than spelling out “per cent”.

Number ranges for temperature

Sticky areas for temperature ranges are where to put spaces, if at all, and whether or not to repeat the degree symbol and ‘C’ or ‘F’. Let’s clear up the murkiness:

• Most styles don’t advise a gap on either side of the en dash, e.g. 17ºC–20ºC.
• For styles that have a space between the numeral and the degree symbol and unit of measurement (C or F) is only used after the second digit, e.g. 17–20 ºC. Note, again, no space on either side of the en dash. Also note that AP style stipulates a space and no ‘circle’ degree symbol before C or F.
• For styles that don’t include a space between the numeral and the degree symbol (e.g. Chicago), the degree symbol and unit of measurement is repeated, e.g. 17ºC–20ºC.

As with other number ranges, the pairings ‘between…and…’ and ‘from…to…’ can also be used with temperature ranges. And, pretty please, don’t use a mix of different formats:

• From 17ºC to 20ºC (not “From 17ºC–20ºC”)
• Between 17ºC and 20ºC (not “Between 17ºC–20ºC”)

Minus temperatures

When writing number ranges that include minus temperatures, it’s best to avoid using the en dash, as this looks odd and can be confusing. Use ‘between…and…’ or ‘from…to…’ instead:

• Winter temperatures in Alaska range from ➖7ºC to ➖23ºC.

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In summary

As we have seen, there are not always clear-cut universal rules for writing number ranges. If you take nothing else away from this post, remember this: don’t mix the en dash format with one of the ‘word’ pairings (‘between/and’ or ‘from/to’). Pick one and stick to it.

Most style guides agree on using the en dash with no spaces for number ranges, rather than spaces or a hyphen. However, if you don’t already have a style guide that you adhere to, it’s best to pick your favourite one, or the one that is most common for your field, and be faithful to it.

I’ve tried to include as many examples of number ranges as possible in this article, but if you’re left with unanswered questions, or if you discover an error in my post, don’t be shy! Shout out in the comments so I can either help you out, or put things right.

Now go and range some numbers!

Answers to dilemmas at start of post

• Do I write “2000 – 2050”, “between 2000 – 2050” or “from 2000 – 2050”? (Answer: These are all incorrect. You could write “2000–2050, “between 2000 and 2050” or “from 2000 to 2050”.)
• Is it “from £50 — £100”, “£50–£100” or “between £50 and £100”? (Answer: “£50–£100” or “between £50 and £100”. You could also write “from £50 to £100”.)
• Should I write “two to 10”, “2–10” or “from 2-10”? (Answer: “2–10” – don’t mix words and digits in the same range)