Why does the $ go before ($9.99) and ¢ behind (99¢) the number?
May 4, 2009 3:19 PM Subscribe
Why does the $ go before ($9.99) and ¢ behind (99¢) the number?
Except that doesn't make any sense, katillathehun, because in English (American English, anyways) you say "ten dollars" or "five dollars twenty cents," with the thing counted coming second like in every other construction.
The real reason is probably just convention with no deeper meaning. It does help to have the currency symbol first for readability.
posted by Electrius at 3:46 PM on May 4, 2009 [1 favorite]
The real reason is probably just convention with no deeper meaning. It does help to have the currency symbol first for readability.
posted by Electrius at 3:46 PM on May 4, 2009 [1 favorite]
The decimal point, and pennies used to have a lot more significance than they do now.
posted by effluvia at 3:53 PM on May 4, 2009
posted by effluvia at 3:53 PM on May 4, 2009
It just depends on local convention. In many countries the sign goes after the number, or is even used as the decimal mark. This is very well illustrated with the variety of practices for the Euro alone.
posted by randomstriker at 3:54 PM on May 4, 2009
posted by randomstriker at 3:54 PM on May 4, 2009
One possibility, and I throw it out there only as such, is that this is the way it is precisely because it renders the two marks distinct.
¢99 and $99. Stand way back. They could be easily confused.
Ah, but 99¢ and $99, now you can tell they are different from a distance.
It's just an idea.
posted by adipocere at 4:06 PM on May 4, 2009 [5 favorites]
¢99 and $99. Stand way back. They could be easily confused.
Ah, but 99¢ and $99, now you can tell they are different from a distance.
It's just an idea.
posted by adipocere at 4:06 PM on May 4, 2009 [5 favorites]
I like to put the $/¢ after solid numbers, ie 9$, and if there's a decimal, put it in front. I think its formal vs informal usage.
posted by wongcorgi at 4:10 PM on May 4, 2009
posted by wongcorgi at 4:10 PM on May 4, 2009
The AP Stylebook recommends you lead with the $ sign and the spell out "cents" for anything less than a dollar.
As a friend asked the other day, "Loan me $3 for a hot dog?"
Or as the scary Mexican who hangs out in front of my corner liquor says, "Hey mister, you got 50 cents I can borrow?"
The Stylebook also says to write out cardinal numbers when they are at the start of a sentence, but use the Arabic numerals when they are mid-sentence.
I can't find any usage guides for the "¢" symbol, although I have misplaced my Chicago Manual and beloved Manual of Style seems to have walked off too. Though, I would be suspicious of its use anywhere outside of a super market circular.
posted by wfrgms at 4:30 PM on May 4, 2009
As a friend asked the other day, "Loan me $3 for a hot dog?"
Or as the scary Mexican who hangs out in front of my corner liquor says, "Hey mister, you got 50 cents I can borrow?"
The Stylebook also says to write out cardinal numbers when they are at the start of a sentence, but use the Arabic numerals when they are mid-sentence.
I can't find any usage guides for the "¢" symbol, although I have misplaced my Chicago Manual and beloved Manual of Style seems to have walked off too. Though, I would be suspicious of its use anywhere outside of a super market circular.
posted by wfrgms at 4:30 PM on May 4, 2009
I don't know why we do, but there's no compelling logic to putting the sign for the minor division after. Before UK's currency was decimalized, they indicated monetary amounts as L5s4d1 (5 pounds, 4 shillings, one pence).
posted by adamrice at 4:31 PM on May 4, 2009
posted by adamrice at 4:31 PM on May 4, 2009
Except that doesn't make any sense, katillathehun, because in English (American English, anyways) you say "ten dollars" or "five dollars twenty cents," with the thing counted coming second like in every other construction.
While that is true, the OP is asking about written amounts, not spoken, and it does seem logical that a number would be first set off by the type of currency whereas the cent sign, literally meaning "of 100," would fall at the end. Not that I'm an authority on this. I'm just saying that by the logic explained in the answer I linked, yes... it does sort of make sense.
posted by katillathehun at 4:34 PM on May 4, 2009
While that is true, the OP is asking about written amounts, not spoken, and it does seem logical that a number would be first set off by the type of currency whereas the cent sign, literally meaning "of 100," would fall at the end. Not that I'm an authority on this. I'm just saying that by the logic explained in the answer I linked, yes... it does sort of make sense.
posted by katillathehun at 4:34 PM on May 4, 2009
Katikkathehun's comment might not make sense, but at least it makes cents....
That said, this short article talks about the origin of the dollar sign itself and it appears in the beginning it wasn't necessarily before the number. It might have been through at act of congress that the dollar sign before the number gained popularity.
Yes, I did some research just so I could make a pun.
posted by Midnight Rambler at 5:05 PM on May 4, 2009 [2 favorites]
That said, this short article talks about the origin of the dollar sign itself and it appears in the beginning it wasn't necessarily before the number. It might have been through at act of congress that the dollar sign before the number gained popularity.
Yes, I did some research just so I could make a pun.
posted by Midnight Rambler at 5:05 PM on May 4, 2009 [2 favorites]
Might there be a connection to "percentage," given that the percentage sign also follows the number (in English)?
posted by Jeff Howard at 5:26 PM on May 4, 2009
posted by Jeff Howard at 5:26 PM on May 4, 2009
I just checked out some records from the 1680s, and they put the £ after the number - actually, this particular clerk wrote "li" for libra.
They also put the s (shillings) or d (pence) marks after the numbers.
So whenever the £ started going before (as it does, just like the $), it was after the 1680s.
posted by jb at 6:13 PM on May 4, 2009
They also put the s (shillings) or d (pence) marks after the numbers.
So whenever the £ started going before (as it does, just like the $), it was after the 1680s.
posted by jb at 6:13 PM on May 4, 2009
adamrice - in at least the 1680s (and somewhat later, from what I've seen), British currency would look like this: 10£6s2d - only with the £ or li, s, and d often in superscript. Unless they were written out in words, of course.
posted by jb at 6:16 PM on May 4, 2009
posted by jb at 6:16 PM on May 4, 2009
Domain:
A dollar is the name of a currency. A cent is not.
posted by fleacircus at 6:39 PM on May 4, 2009
A dollar is the name of a currency. A cent is not.
posted by fleacircus at 6:39 PM on May 4, 2009
Electrius: The real reason is probably just convention with no deeper meaning. It does help to have the currency symbol first for readability.
There is no such thing. Conventions always have a source, however arbitrary.
posted by koeselitz at 8:03 PM on May 4, 2009
There is no such thing. Conventions always have a source, however arbitrary.
posted by koeselitz at 8:03 PM on May 4, 2009
I always thought one reason is when doing something like writing checks, putting the $ first makes it harder for someone to add extra digits in order to (illicitly) increase the amount.
If you write 89.15$ then someone could easily add a number or two up front to make 9889.15$.
If you write $89.15 then you can easily add numbers at the end I suppose but it doesn't really have the same effect as adding them at the first: $89.1543.
I don't have any backup for this theory, though.
Except--it is somewhat similar to the way in some old roman numeral writing they would make the final "i" into a "j", like VIJ (for 7). Otherwise you could come along and add another "i" or two--which might be very undesirable if the number is describing money or something else valuable.
posted by flug at 8:26 PM on May 4, 2009 [1 favorite]
If you write 89.15$ then someone could easily add a number or two up front to make 9889.15$.
If you write $89.15 then you can easily add numbers at the end I suppose but it doesn't really have the same effect as adding them at the first: $89.1543.
I don't have any backup for this theory, though.
Except--it is somewhat similar to the way in some old roman numeral writing they would make the final "i" into a "j", like VIJ (for 7). Otherwise you could come along and add another "i" or two--which might be very undesirable if the number is describing money or something else valuable.
posted by flug at 8:26 PM on May 4, 2009 [1 favorite]
In French (in Canada at least) the dollar sign comes at the end 5$ and 19.99$. It is spoken in the same word order as in English (if I'm not mistaken). In Quebec, world order has not been reduced to chaos due to its dollar sign placement.
posted by kch at 9:41 PM on May 4, 2009
posted by kch at 9:41 PM on May 4, 2009
I'd say the dollar sign before the number is simply wrong for printed matter, much as the closing quote after the punctuation is simply wrong according to Fowler's Modern English Usage. All units belong after the number logically speaking. But English obviously isn't much for uniformizing other grammer or spelling features.
I find flung's application compelling for checks and forms specifically, but you should also write your cents small & underlined, even if they are 00, and write out the words in print followed by a line, and presumably don't write the words for the cents.
posted by jeffburdges at 11:48 PM on May 4, 2009
I find flung's application compelling for checks and forms specifically, but you should also write your cents small & underlined, even if they are 00, and write out the words in print followed by a line, and presumably don't write the words for the cents.
posted by jeffburdges at 11:48 PM on May 4, 2009
I don't really see the cents marker used that much any more. I always see it as $.99 with the decimal to indicate it's less than a dollar.
posted by tylerfulltilt at 7:31 AM on May 5, 2009
posted by tylerfulltilt at 7:31 AM on May 5, 2009
But English obviously isn't much for uniformizing other grammer or spelling features.
Fair enough, but currencies in non-English speaking countries often put the currency symbol first, as seen above.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:01 AM on May 6, 2009
Fair enough, but currencies in non-English speaking countries often put the currency symbol first, as seen above.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:01 AM on May 6, 2009
This question is the reason I almost failed 3rd grade math.
posted by jrishel at 7:46 AM on May 6, 2009
posted by jrishel at 7:46 AM on May 6, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
The name of the currency usually precedes the value which is why "$" appears before the amount of dollars. This is the case for most currencies in the world. The cents portion, however, comes about in a very different way. ... That's because you are saying "52 of 100" when you say 52 cents.
Makes sense.
posted by katillathehun at 3:26 PM on May 4, 2009