Use words for ordinals up to ‘ninth’ and numerals for ‘10th’ and above

Spell out ordinal numbers from ‘first’ to ‘ninth’. Use numerals for ordinals from ‘10th’ onwards.

Ordinals written as numerals always have a suffix:

• ‘-st’ (‘first’, ‘21st’)
• ‘-nd’ (‘second’, ‘32nd’)
• ‘-rd’ (‘third’, ‘103rd’)
• ‘-th’ (‘fourth’, ‘15th’, ‘55th’ and so on).

Don’t write suffixes in superscript. Superscript may not be accessible to people who use screen readers.

Exception to ordinals rule for centuries

Use numerals, not words, when writing ordinals with centuries. This is an exception to the general rule to spell out ‘first’ to ‘ninth’ for ordinals.

Write ‘century’ and ‘centuries’ in lower case.

Very large ordinals

People find very large rounded numbers easier to read in words rather than numerals. This also applies to ordinal numbers. Spell out the number and include the relevant suffix.

Ordinals in reference lists

In reference lists, use numerals with a suffix for editions of a publication. This is an exception to the rule to use words for ordinal numbers up to ninth.

Ordinals in organisation names

If an organisation’s name includes a numeral, write the name as the organisation does. This is an exception to the rule to use words for ordinal numbers up to ninth.

Create a list rather than use ordinals

Don’t use ordinals to order points in general content. Reword the content so it doesn’t need ordinals or use a numbered list instead. A list can make it easier for people to follow the sequence.

Always use numbered lists rather than ordinals when you’re expressing a series of items or steps – for example, in recommendations or instructions.

Ordinals in journals and other publications

Ordinals, such as ‘firstly’ and ‘secondly’, are sometimes used in content written for government publications such as journals and reports. In this type of content, they order thoughts without interrupting the flow of the text.

‘Firstly’ and ‘secondly’ work as a pair. Don’t use one without the other.

Don’t use ‘thirdly’. Instead, omit ordinals and write the points as a run-on list in a sentence.

Don't use ordinals in dates

Use numerals without a suffix for dates.

Don’t confuse ordinals with regnal numbers

Regnal numbers are upper case roman numerals that are used for the titles of monarchs and popes and in family names.

Even though you might pronounce regnals as ordinal numbers, don’t write them like that.

Use a non-breaking space for names with regnal numbers

Put a non-breaking space between the name and the regnal number. A non-breaking space means that line breaks won’t split up both elements of the name. The name and number will stay together on one line.

You can insert a non-breaking space using the Unicode character U+00A0.

In HTML, use the entity   to insert a non-breaking space. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar in Word.