Writing Numbers in Legal Documents and Contracts
Last updated 19 June 2026
Contracts and cheques often state an amount twice — “five thousand dollars ($5,000)”. Writing it in both words and figures is a long-standing anti-fraud practice: a stray digit is easy to alter, a spelled-out amount is not.
Which form controls
If the words and the figures disagree, most legal traditions treat the words as controlling. This rule appears, for example, in negotiable-instruments law for cheques. The practical takeaway: make the two forms match exactly before signing, and fix any mismatch rather than relying on the rule.
How to write it well
- Spell the amount in words first, then put the figure in parentheses.
- Capitalize consistently and avoid mixing styles.
- For currency, include the unit: “five thousand dollars”, not just “five thousand”.
Use the converter to generate the exact words for any amount, or read our guide to writing a check.