Spelling out number ranges?

Solution 1:

Usually style guides and editors will default to using numerals for ranges. For instance, the recent MLA Handbook (9th edition) does say that you should write out "numbers that can be written in a word or two" (section 2.127) but gives examples that suggest ranges are an exception:

2-3

10-12

21-48

89-99 (MLA 9, section 2.139)

For APA, APA 6 and 7 don't explicitly give rules for number ranges below 10, but it does list several times when numerals would be used for 1-10, including "numbers that denote a specific place in a numbered series and parts of books and tables" (APA 7, section 6.32). A blog post about APA 6 also seems to excuse the use of a numerical range:

APA Style does not have explicit rules for ranges of numbers, except for when referring to a page range or a range of dates in a reference list entry. Numerous examples in Chapter 7 of the Publication Manual show both numbers in a page range being written out in full, regardless of size, and example 23 on page 204 demonstrates the same concept applied to a range of years. These rules relate to APA Style’s emphasis on the importance of specificity and clarity in scientific writing. Thus, a range of numbers (10–40; 101–109; 5,000–5,025; 90,013–90,157) or dates (1999–2003; 2009–2012) should never be abbreviated. (APA Style Blog)

The Chicago Manual of Style prefers that numbers 1-100 (or 1-10) be written out, but has no issue with ranges using numerals:

Please refer to pages 75–110.

Here are the figures for 2000–2009.

Campers were divided into age groups 5–7, 8–10, 11–13, and 14–16. (Chicago Manual of Style 17th edition, section 9.60).