Using numbers in text

Ensure numbers in text are consistent with UI displays and use numerals for counts, dates, decimals, and other data types for clarity and precision.

Follow these guidelines when using numbers in text.

When you write about numbers that appear in a Splunk product UI, duplicate them exactly as the UI displays.

Using numerals

In general, use numerals for numbers in documentation. This includes small numbers of a single digit and large numbers with 4 or more digits, as well as numbers associated with counts, dates, decimals, fractions, measurements, percentages, ranges, time, versions, weight, and other data for comparison or analysis.

Review the following table for examples of when to use numerals in text:


Use numerals for	Example	For more information
Counts	2 forwarders, 3 unique values, 50,000 alerts
Dates	April 22, 2019	See Dates.
Decimals	3.14	See Commas and decimals.
Dimensions	1280 x 1024
Distance	4 feet
Duration of time	2 minutes	See Time.
Fractions	1/4	See Fractions.
Measurements	8 CPU, 1,045 MB	See Measurements.
Numerical user input	In the Number field, enter `5`.
Percentages	25%
Phone numbers	+1-888-555-1212	See Phone numbers.
Pixels	450 px, 1920 x 1080 pixels
Ranges	50 to 60 GB	See Ranges.
Time of day	2:30 PM to 5 PM	See Time.
Versions	Splunk Enterprise 7.x	See Versions.
Weight	40 lbs

Don't start a sentence with a numeral

Avoid starting a sentence with a numeral. Instead, rewrite the sentence so the number comes later in the sentence or is prefaced by a modifier. If you can't rewrite the sentence, spell out the number at the beginning of the sentence.

Review the following table for sentences that follow these guidelines:


Do this	Don't do this
This cluster contains 4 peers.	4 peers are contained in this cluster.
Eleven hosts have unusually high CPU usage.	11 hosts have unusually high CPU usage.

When to spell out numbers

Numbers sometimes provide context or additional information without being the focus of the sentence. In such cases, spell out the number to emphasize what the number is describing rather than the number's numerical value.

Spell out ordinal numbers in text.

See the following examples:

One of the following ranges
Twelfth line in the code
Third-party software

Hyphenating numbers

Hyphenate both numerals and spelled-out numbers when they are part of a compound adjective. See the following examples:

Two-factor authentication
128-bit number

Writing large numbers in a confined space

If you're working within a space constraint, such as in a UI or a table cell, use your best judgment about shortening a number with a letter, such as K, M, or B. Remember that not all abbreviations are globally understood, and strive for plain language wherever possible.

Numbers in headings

It's okay to use a number in any level of heading if the number is part of a name. See the following examples:

SPL2 stats and charting functions
Create a DSP connection to get data from Amazon S3

It's okay to use numbers in a heading to indicate steps or parts in a tutorial. Otherwise, don't use numbers in any level of heading to indicate a sequence or multiple tasks on a single page. If you want to show the order of tasks, use a supertask instead.

Correct as titles on separate pages in a tutorial: Part 1: Getting started

Part 2: Activate your pipeline
Incorrect as headings on a single page of a task: 1. Register an app

2. Add permissions

For more information about naming your headings, see Naming guides, topics, and sections.

Examples of number usage

Review the following table for examples of correctly using numerals and spelling out numbers in text:


Do this	Don't do this
Zero downtime	0 downtime
Default value of 0	Default value of zero
Follow these steps to move an app from one instance to another.	Follow these steps to move an app from 1 instance to another.
There are two kinds of field extractions.	There are 2 kinds of field extractions.
1-, 2-, or 3-hour alerting intervals	One-, two-, or three-hour alerting intervals
Over 8,000,000 results	Over 8M search results