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I'm going to give three examples of numbers being used with letters. All I want to know is if hyphens have to be used with numbers that are attached to letters. Here are a few examples:

  1. Donald and Putin had a G20 (or G-20) conversation.

  2. My friend bought the new PS4 (or PS-4).

For my final example, I'm going to mention v2, as in version 2.

  1. These are v2 (or v-2) plates.

What are the rules for attaching numbers to letters? Are hyphens required?

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  • For whom are you writing?
    – Mark D Worthen PsyD
    Commented Jul 22, 2017 at 19:17
  • For PS4, the official, trademarked version uses no hyphen: playstation.com/en-us/explore/ps4
    – vpn
    Commented Jul 22, 2017 at 19:48
  • I have changed "3" to "three" as an example of how to handle number in writing. Accepted style is to write numbers out in full, at least to ten, and perhaps to twenty. One guide in finding out what is standard or conventional style is observation. Didn't it look or feel odd to you that you had written '3'? Possibly not, but unless you try to develop a facility for observing the best professional writing in your area you are going to have trouble. Friendly advice. Don't shoot the messenger.
    – David
    Commented Jul 22, 2017 at 19:55
  • The 'Group of Twenty' seems to be generally referred to as G20, though Wikipedia gives G-20 as an alternative.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Jul 23, 2017 at 8:15
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    No, BOB, there are no specific rules saying hyphens have to, or even might preferably be used with numbers attached to letters. If you look through several copies of each of several publications covering the field you're writing for, you should see what seems acceptable. Otherwise it's a matter of house style.
    – Robbie Goodwin
    Commented Jul 23, 2017 at 22:22

1 Answer 1

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Terms like G20 and PS4 are generally closed. Chicago Manual of Style says the following in its hyphenation table:

noun + numeral or enumerator

type A; a type A executive; type 2 diabetes; size 12 slacks; a page 1 headline

Both noun and adjective forms always open.

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