Pronouncing 0.15% as "Point fifteen percent" instead of "Point one five percent"

[rs20]

I notice that in a lot of non-technical content (often american TV), that when decimal number are verbalised (I'll take 0.15% as my example), they'll say "[Zero] point fifteen percent" instead of "[Zero] point one five percent".

I've been getting increasingly curious where this tendency is coming from. Does the USA Elementary School Maths Curriculum actively allow (or even encourage) this?

[coppercone2]

go outside

[DimitriP]

go outside

 

[ataradov]

I'm not a native English speaker and I do pronounce it as "point fifteen percent". Not sure why. I don't think anyone taught me that specifically.

It is possible because in Russian it would be "fifteen hundredths of a percent". So the word "fifteen" is verbalized as is.

[bsfeechannel]

I guess when you say point fifteen, hundredths is implied.

[Brumby]

Fifteen is just a word expression of two digits.  Where it is found in an expression is reasonably inconsequential.

If you want to get picky - you should stop saying that WWII ended in nineteen forty five.

[james_s]

I've always said "point fifteen", saying "point one five" sounds long winded and strange to me. That said, you could say either one and and I'd understand it just fine and probably not think anything of it.

[IanB]

It's always been taught to say "point-one-five" rather than "point-fifteen".

A good reason for this is to avoid accidental mishearing or confusion between 15 and 0.15.

In most cases, reading the digits sounds most natural. For example, 1.25% is "one point two five percent".

(If speaking over the radio and correct reception is critical, one would pronounce 0.15 as "zero decimal one five".)

[langwadt]

It's always been taught to say "point-one-five" rather than "point-fifteen".

A good reason for this is to avoid accidental mishearing or confusion between 15 and 0.15.

In most cases, reading the digits sounds most natural. For example, 1.25% is "one point two five percent".

(If speaking over the radio and correct reception is critical, one would pronounce 0.15 as "zero decimal one five".)

and fifty doesn't sound that different from fifteen

[Tomorokoshi]

Use your preferred method using the same pattern from 0.15% to 0.01%. Is there a value where the pattern doesn't work well anymore?

[EEVblog]

I'm a point one five man myself.

[EEVblog]

It's always been taught to say "point-one-five" rather than "point-fifteen".
A good reason for this is to avoid accidental mishearing or confusion between 15 and 0.15.
In most cases, reading the digits sounds most natural. For example, 1.25% is "one point two five percent".
(If speaking over the radio and correct reception is critical, one would pronounce 0.15 as "zero decimal one five".)

Yes, this is what I was taught as well.

[TheSteve]

I'm a point one five man myself.

This is the only way it makes logical sense to me.

[EEVblog]

I'm a point one five man myself.

This is the only way it makes logical sense to me.

Fifteenth et.al relate to whole numbers only, or parts of whole numbers like Nineteen Fifteenth. When you are dealing with the decimal point you have entered the realm of scientific notation and it's important to be precise. I think it's a nice logical place for lexiconal (did I just invent a word?) split.

[austfox]

A good reason for this is to avoid accidental mishearing or confusion between 15 and 0.15.

I think it’s more to do with the confusion between 15 and 50, or 17 and 70 etc.

If you listen to a lot of air traffic, you’ll find they are just as guilty of not speaking each digit, which is against all protocol.

For non-safety critical stuff I don’t see the problem.

[maginnovision]

When I read the title I read it as point one five... No idea why but I always say each digit when It comes to decimals. Would you say point oh oh fifteen for .0015? Maybe but I wouldn't.

[Halcyon]

"Point one five" if for no other reason that I cannot be mistaken, particularly if you're on the phone.

"Fifteen" sounds too much like "Fifty".

[tggzzz]

I notice that in a lot of non-technical content (often american TV), that when decimal number are verbalised (I'll take 0.15% as my example), they'll say "[Zero] point fifteen percent" instead of "[Zero] point one five percent".

It is annoying and inconsistent.

How would such people pronounce 0.01%? Perhaps 0.01% as "zero point one percent"?

Or perhaps people should pronounce 2.150% as "two point one fifty percent".

(I do hope it is unnecessary to explain that 0.15 is not the same as 0.150)

[Psi]

meh,  i'm still trying to work out why they keep using the 'hundred' unit after they reach 1000  "15 hundred" etc.
When most other places would say 1 point 5k or 1 thousand 5

[jhpadjustable]

Our exceptional number system is base 100

[tggzzz]

meh,  i'm still trying to work out why they keep using the 'hundred' unit after they reach 1000  "15 hundred" etc.
When most other places would say 1 point 5k or 1 thousand 5

And then a quarter of the world's population uses "lakh" and "crore" for 10⁵ and 10⁷ respectively.

[Fred27]

I would definitely say point one five.

Using the "fifteen" method then what is a half? Is it point five or point fifty?

[tggzzz]

I would definitely say point one five.

Using the "fifteen" method then what is a half? Is it point five or point fifty?

It cold be either, or point "five hundred" or "point five thousand".

A better example is to ask how people would pronounce 0.1, 0.01, 0.001, 0.0001 etc. The twats will say they are all "point one"

[Brumby]

I would express it as "point one five percent".

I just cope with alternate forms of expression - so long as there is no ambiguity.  If I have any doubt, I will seek clarification.

[Mr. Scram]

It's always been taught to say "point-one-five" rather than "point-fifteen".

A good reason for this is to avoid accidental mishearing or confusion between 15 and 0.15.

In most cases, reading the digits sounds most natural. For example, 1.25% is "one point two five percent".

(If speaking over the radio and correct reception is critical, one would pronounce 0.15 as "zero decimal one five".)

One five leaves other room for error. It's not going to be perfect either way.