A worldwide number format for use with a spreadsheet program module is disclosed. The worldwide number format includes a locale specifier comprising a number shape, a calendar type and a locale identification (LCID). The worldwide number format also includes a base number format and a value. The LCID is used to categorize different parts of the world. Primarily, the LCID categorizes different parts of the world by language such as English, German, French, Thai, Arabic, etc. The LCID is used to determine what language to display month names, month abbreviations, weekday names, weekday abbreviations, time designations such as AM/PM, etc. The calendar type supports both Gregorian and non-Gregorian calendars. Calendar type is a value to indicate which calendar should be used to calculate the date from the value. The number shape is a value that indicates what shape in which to represent the number. In other words, number shape refers to the manner of writing numbers and the digit shape to use to represent a number. For example, some countries prefer to see numbers written out.