Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Using Fields for Fractions.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 3, 2024)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
There is an often-overlooked way to add fractions to your Word documents—through the use of the EQ field. This field was originally designed for equations, and can be used very handily for fractions.
There are two ways you can utilize the EQ field for your fractions. Using the first method, your field would look as follows:
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here:
{ EQ \f(x, y) }
Just make sure you insert regular field braces by pressing Ctrl+F9, and replace x with your numerator and y with your denominator. The result is a fraction using a horizontal divider between the numerator and the denominator.
The other EQ field method is as follows:
{ EQ \s\up2(9)/\s\do2(11) }
This approach uses quite a few different EQ field switches to format the equation. The first part utilizes the \s\up2 switches to position a superscript. The last part utilizes the \s\do2 switches to position a subscript.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1302) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Using Fields for Fractions.
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