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Dollar signs

by Jillian Slack
10 replies
OK this is driving the proofreader in me crazy.

Why do I keep seeing this:

10$ 97$ 100$ 1,000$

all over the Internet, on web sites, in sales letters, in emails, and even here on the WF?

The dollar sign goes behind the digits, people!

It's not just non-native English speakers who are doing this.

Thanks for letting me rant.

Jill
#dollar #signs
  • Profile picture of the author Steve Campbell
    lol I don't know why the $ signs are behind the actual amounts. Maybe there was a study done somewhere. All I know is it looks like it is designed for you to pick the 97$ option. Some kind of mind trick.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael D
    Many countries place the symbol after the currency. If someone is from a country that does that then they are naturally going to place it after the numbers because that is what they are used to. Also, if you think about it logically it makes more sense to have it after as in 5 dollars (5$) at least the way it is spoken.
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    • Profile picture of the author Marian
      Originally Posted by Michael D View Post

      Many countries place the symbol after the currency. If someone is from a country that does that then they are naturally going to place it after the numbers because that is what they are used to. Also, if you think about it logically it makes more sense to have it after as in 5 dollars (5$) at least the way it is spoken.
      Exactly Michael! :-) We don't say dollars 5 but 5 dollars! :-)) But I may be a bit biased here, because we used to say and write 5 Sk meaning 5 Slovak crowns :-))

      I myself use the dollar sign before the number - so I may be OK, Jill, right? ;-)

      Marian
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  • Profile picture of the author Josh Semke
    Almost all other monetary units have the dollar sign after the number. Perhaps they've moved to the US from another country and continue using it as they normally would.

    It's interesting to note the cent sign comes after the number in the US, 10¢.
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    • Profile picture of the author Thomas
      Originally Posted by Josh Semke View Post

      Almost all other monetary units have the dollar sign after the number. Perhaps they've moved to the US from another country and continue using it as they normally would.
      It's probably all other non-US dollar currencies (as opposed to "almost" all)!

      Things can get pretty confusing when currency symbols 'go international', even when it's exactly the same currency, like in the case of the Euro, where something might be written €5.68 in Ireland, but 5,68€, or even 5€68 in other parts of Europe.

      Tommy.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tracey_Meagher
    Many ecommerce platforms give you the option of placing the dollar before or after the price. So I guess there must be a demand for both. I'm definitely a before person!
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    • Profile picture of the author BrashImpact
      I like to put the dollar sign after the price point that i want them
      to pick, split testing works. As for the proofreader in you,
      thank god, their are folks like you around, because without
      you, my business would look like a Re-Tard wrote that letter.
      THanks for the Rantingly Funny post.

      Now can i buy a 500$ Big mack Please

      Regards,
      Robert Nelson
      "The Maverick Motivator"
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris_Willow
    So what's the right way then?

    Belcher button has $ before number on it and they have done some hard core testing...
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    THE ORIGINAL
    Killer Sales Video
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    • Profile picture of the author Jillian Slack
      Originally Posted by Chris_Willow View Post

      So what's the right way then?

      Belcher button has $ before number on it and they have done some hard core testing...

      For US dollars, the dollar sign goes in front of the digits.

      $97
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  • Profile picture of the author Rob Thayer
    I don't care if I made $5,000 a day or 5,000$ a day... it's all good.
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