Proofreading Service - Pain in the English
Proofreading Service - Pain in the English

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24-Hour Proofreading Service—We proofread your Google Docs or Microsoft Word files. We hate grammatical errors with a passion. Learn More

Proofreading Service - Pain in the English
Proofreading Service - Pain in the English

Your Pain Is Our Pleasure

24-Hour Proofreading Service—We proofread your Google Docs or Microsoft Word files. We hate grammatical errors with a passion. Learn More

Percents or Percentages

Help! I have an annual report ready to go to print....Can someone please tell me which footnote is grammatically correct?

Percents do not add to 100 because members may indicate more than one business activity.

OR

Percentages do not add to 100 because members may indicate....

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The handy online edition of the Columbia Guide to Standard American English helpfully notes: "Percentage is the more widely accepted noun, especially in Edited English." But "percent" is probably so entrenched at this point that most people would find it equally acceptable.

dan1 Nov-01-2007

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...but "percentages" sounds better!

Chelsea1 Nov-04-2007

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Yes, but it also takes up more space on precious real estate....so it's a balancing act. Thanks so much for the feedback. The report is on press right now.

Tessa2 Nov-07-2007

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Don't keep us in suspense, Tessa. Which did you use?

anonymous4 Nov-07-2007

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In the context used,

Percent is more correctly the percent symbol, a typographical thingy.

Percentage is the mathematical meaning implied.

The correct usage for that particular context is 'percentage'.

Commonly, 'percent' is the correct word when saying something like

"In our estimation, 5 percent were excluded.*"

"*Percentages do not add to 100 because members may indicate more than one business activity."

lastronin Feb-18-2008

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Tessa, know this is way past your due date but why not say "the total percentage was not 100...

Maggie1 Mar-05-2009

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The correct answer is percentage. The easiest way to remember the difference is to understand that "percent" is always preceded with a number, whereas, "percentage" is never directed coupled with a number.

user108537 Jan-10-2020

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The correct answer is percentage. The easiest way to remember the difference is to understand that "percent" is always preceded with a number, whereas, "percentage" is never directly coupled with a number.

user108537 Jan-10-2020

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