Today’s post is about how to include currency and money values in your documents. Included here are a handful of practices based on five reputable style manuals used internationally. Notes are available at the end for further research and reading.
Using Symbols
When setting body text with currency symbols ($, ¢, €, ¥, £, p, ₩), there should be no spaces between the symbol and the number values (New Hart’s Rules 2014, 11.2.3; UNESCO 2004, 32). The symbol generally precedes the number, but when a value is less than a whole monetary value, the symbol follows (Chicago Manual of Style 2017, 9.20, 9.22; New Hart’s Rules 2014, 11.2.3).
Symbols with values: $750, 82¢, 99p, ₩10,000
The Associated Press and The Economist, however, mostly discourage the use of ¢, preferring to spell out cents, “20 cents” (Associated Press Stylebook 2020, s.v. “cents”; Economist Style Guide 2018, s.v. “currencies”). Chicago also prefers cents but for a different reason. According to Chicago, whole numbers one hundred and under should generally be spelled out, so using a symbol with a spelled-out number would be stylistically conflicting, so the money value would be written as “twenty cents” (Chicago Manual of Style 2017, 9.2, 9.20). UNESCO prefers symbols and numerals over spelled-out numbers (UNESCO 2004, 31).
However, when there is a mix of fractional and whole monetary values, most of the resources agree that numerals and symbols should be used (Chicago Manual of Style 2017, 9.20; New Hart’s Rules 2014, 11.2.3; UNESCO 2004, 31, 33). A zero placeholder is included with fractional monetary units like cents, pence, and centavos (Chicago Manual of Style 2017, 9.19, 9.20). Below is an example.
Mix of fractional and whole monetary values: We bought the stock at $0.80 and sold it for $1.13 two weeks later.
Mixing symbols is discouraged, so never combine a form like £5.68p; instead write £5.68 (New Hart’s Rules 2014, 11.2.3).
Using Symbols with Letters
Internationally, the $ symbol is largely recognized in relation to the United States dollar. However, several other countries use dollars, and other countries like Mexico use the $ symbol to represent their currencies, even if they aren’t dollars. If there is a possibility of confusion, use letter-symbol formats (Chicago Manual of Style 2017, 9.21; Economist Style Guide 2018, s.v. “currencies”; New Hart’s Rules 2014, 11.2.3; UNESCO 2004, 32). Here are a few letter-symbol formats for reference: A$, Australian dollars; C$, Canadian dollars; HK$, Hong Kong dollars; Mex$, Mexican pesos; NT$, New Taiwan dollars; NZ$, New Zealand dollars; R$, Brazilian reais; RD$, Dominican pesos; S$, Singapore dollars; and US$, United States dollars.
The conference will cost about A$11,000 to organize, but we are still under budget.
Please note that the letter-symbol format is a closed form; no spaces are included between the symbols and the numerals (New Hart’s Rules 2014, 11.2.3; UNESCO 2004, 32).
Using Letters to Represent Currencies
For abbreviated currencies, most style guides recommend using the format outlined in the latest ISO 4217 version (Chicago Manual of Style 2017, 9.21, 9.23; New Hart’s Rules 2014, 11.2.3). As of today, the most recent is ISO 4217:2015 (International Organization for Standardization, n.d.). Some common abbreviations are AUD, Australian dollar; EUR, European euro; GBP, British pound; JPY, Japanese yen; KRW, Korean won; and USD, United States dollar. (A link to a list of currency codes is in the notes below.)
When using currency codes, include a non-breaking space between the code and the numerical values (UNESCO 2004, 32). (Ctrl + Shift + Space creates a non-breaking space in Microsoft Word.) A non-breaking space ensures that the currency code and numerals are always together, regardless of where a line may break.
We saved EUR 125 by opting out of the extras.
I couldn’t take an offer lower than USD 1,500.
If there is a possibility that a currency may not be known, provide an explanation prior to the currency code on the first mention; subsequent mentions can use the standard code without the explanation (New Hart’s Rules 2014, 11.2.3; UNESCO 2004, 32).
For the mission trip, we will need at least Botswana pula (BWP) 30,000.
Words or Numbers or Both
Both words and numbers are encouraged for large currency amounts (Associated Press Stylebook 2020, s.v. “dollars”; Chicago Manual of Style 2017, 9.24; New Hart’s Rules 2014, 11.2.3; UNESCO 2004, 31). Below are three examples that illustrate symbols and currency codes with large figures.
Our organization signed a five-year contract guaranteeing $250 million.
Our organization signed a five-year contract guaranteeing US$250 million.
Our organization signed a five-year contract guaranteeing USD 250 million.
On the other hand, both Chicago and Oxford recommend spelling out whole numbers through one hundred (Chicago) or under one hundred (Oxford), and Oxford also favors words for large rounded numbers (Chicago Manual of Style 2017, 9.2, 9.20; New Hart’s Rules 2014, 11.1.2, 11.2.3); this is a general rule with many exceptions. UNESCO, The Associated Press, and The Economist do not follow this recommendation for money (Associated Press Stylebook 2020, s.vv. “cents,” “dollars”; Economist Style Guide 2018, s.v. “currencies”; UNESCO 2004, 31).
He earned more than two million pounds last year.
Please lend me twenty-five cents.
References
The following resources were used for reference. Information about ISO 4217:2015 is behind a paywall, so the reference link goes to ISO 4217, which includes an external link to SIX Group Services Ltd. SIX has two currency code downloads available; one is an .xls file, the other an .xml file. SIX manages updates to ISO 4217 as the Maintenance Agency and part of the Secretariat.
The Associated Press Stylebook 2020–2022. 2020. 55th ed. New York: Basic Books.
The Chicago Manual of Style. 2017. 17th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
The Economist Style Guide. 2018. 12th ed. London: Profile Books.
International Organization for Standardization. n.d. “ISO 4217: Currency Codes.” Accessed October 15, 2026. https://www.iso.org/iso-4217-currency-codes.html.
New Hart’s Rules: The Oxford Style Guide. 2014. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
SIX Group Services Ltd. n.d. “Financial Data Standards.” Accessed October 15, 2026. https://www.six-group.com/en/products-services/financial-information/market-reference-data/data-standards.html.
UNESCO. 2004. Style Manual for the Presentation of English-Language Texts Intended for Publication by UNESCO. 2nd rev. ed. Paris: UNESCO.