# percent

/pɝˈsɛnt/ (US) · /pəsˈɛnt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/percent
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. a proportion out of 100

noun · CEFR A2 · Academic

one part in every hundred.

For teachers: one one-hundredth part of a whole; often used to describe a specific proportion or rate.

- Only ten percent of the class passed the difficult exam.
- A significant percent of the annual budget is allocated to research and development to ensure long-term competitiveness.

Usage: In formal writing, 'percent' is usually written out as a word, while '%' is preferred in technical or scientific data.

### 2. for every hundred

adverb · CEFR A2 · American English · Academic

for or out of every hundred.

For teachers: by or for every hundred; used after a numeral to indicate a proportion.

- The price of bread increased by five percent last month.
- The population grew by nearly three percent annually during the decade, placing immense pressure on local infrastructure.

Usage: In American English, 'percent' is the standard spelling for both the noun and adverb; British English often uses 'per cent' as two words.

### 3. the symbol %

noun · CEFR B2 · Technical

the symbol % used in writing and math.

For teachers: the typographical character or sign (%) representing a percentage.

- You need to type the percent sign after the number in the spreadsheet.
- The software requires the user to escape the percent character when it appears within a text string to avoid a processing error.

## Examples

- The shop offers a ten percent discount today.
- Nearly eighty percent of the students passed the final exam on their first attempt.
- While the raw data suggests a significant increase, the actual growth represents only a small percent of the total market share when adjusted for inflation.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.