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Quantification · 95 words

Quantified Impact Words

The verbs, units, and constructions that put numbers to work without sounding inflated.

When to use this bank

Use these in any bio where the credibility of the subject's claim depends on a defensible number. The structure that performs best is verb + number + context — 'grew the team from twelve to fifty-eight'. The number stays specific; the verb stays declarative; the context anchors the reader.

When not to use it

Avoid these constructions when you do not have a number, or when the number you have is misleading without context. Avoid rounded-up totals ('over a billion') when the actual figure is more credible. Avoid percentages without baselines.

The vocabulary

Organized into 6 groups. Each group has its own guidance.

Verbs that pair with numbers

23 words

These verbs land cleanly next to a quantity. Most other verbs need a preposition.

grewscaledtripleddoubledhalvedreducedincreasedliftedcutslashedraisedshippedmovedshifteddrovedeliveredprocessedexecutedclosedoriginatedmanagedownedoperated

Units that fit professional bios

25 words

Choose the unit that the reader can calibrate. Mixing units inside one paragraph dilutes the signal.

ARRMRRrevenuegross merchandise volumetransactionscustomersusersactive usersrowsqueries per dayrequests per secondeventslines of codedeals closedteam sizeFTEsstoresdoorsbedsschoolsdistrictspatientsconsultationsdownloadssubscribers

Before-and-after constructions

12 words

Use to compress a transformation into a single legible sentence.

from X to Yfrom a baseline of Xby the end of the periodyear-over-yearquarter-over-quarterover the prior X yearscompared with the previous periodagainst a baseline offrom launch throughbetween X and Yduring the X cohortacross the rollout

Time anchors that legitimize the number

11 words

Numbers without time anchors invite dismissal. Use one of these to ground the figure.

within twelve monthsover three yearsby the end of 2024within the first six monthsduring the integration periodafter the rolloutwithin the first cohortacross the eighteen-month engagementduring her tenurebefore the acquisitionin the year following

Words that signal scale without inflating

12 words

Words to reach for when scale matters but the precise number is sensitive or unavailable.

low double-digit millionsmid-eight-figurenine-figurethousands ofhundreds oftens oflow-hundredshigh-hundredssingle-digitdouble-digit growthtriple-digit growthan order of magnitude

Words to avoid

12 words

These are quantified-sounding words that are actually inflated, unverifiable, or vacuous. Cut them.

countlessinnumerablemanyvastsignificantsubstantialexponentialmassivehugeworld-classbest-in-classindustry-leading

Where these words pair well

Founder bio

Use one 'Verbs that pair with numbers' verb, one specific unit, one before-and-after construction. The pattern is: 'grew X from Y to Z within N months'.

Senior operator bio

Use one quantified result per tenure, not per role. A bio with three quantified outcomes outperforms one with eight.

Researcher or academic bio

Use citation counts, sample sizes, or grant amounts. Pair every number with the agency or journal that gives it weight.

Before and after

What this bank looks like applied to a single sentence.

Before

Significantly grew the business and drove substantial improvements to key metrics over the prior period.

After

Grew the business from $4.1M to $19.6M ARR between Q2 2022 and Q4 2024, driven by a rebuild of the inbound funnel and the launch of the company's first enterprise tier.