How do I pronounce “ratio 1:1”?

Question

How do I pronounce "ratio 1:1"?

Should I pronounce it "ratio 1 to 1"?

Answer 1

In speech this is obviously always pronounced "ratio one to one."

In writing, it is a matter of style. Anything of a technical nature should always be written in the 1:1 form, but when writing prose, fiction or something informal, you should certainly consider writing it as it would be spoken:

"The mix was applied in a one-to-one ratio."

The use of hyphenation and words instead of numerals makes the sentence flowing and readable, and encourages the reader's eye to see this as a single, commonly-occurring term.

Note that for the purpose of clarity ratios should generally be stated in the same clause and the same order as the two sets being compared:

"Boys and girls were present in a ratio of 3:2."

Answer 2

The pronunciation/spelling-out of "1:1" is "one to one" or "one-to-one." I just wanted to add that you wouldn't say "ratio one-to-one." You would either say "a ratio of one-to-one" or "a one-to-one ratio."

Answer 3

You would pronounce it "a ratio of 1 to 1", but it's worth noting that there are sometimes exceptions.

In films and photography, for example, ratios such as 16:9 and 4:3 are often described as "16 by 9" and "four by three", respectively.

Answer 4

Hmm, not sure how correct this is but I read a:b as "a is to b". And a:b::c:d as "a is to b as c is to d". Probably British English (else it's Indian :))

Answer 5

I am Indian and I say 1:1 "one to one" and a:b::c:d "a is to b as c is to d".