Numbers are a word-class apart for a number of reasons.
The wordless use them
Pine-cones, broccoli, lilies, roses, daisies, and marigolds, to name a few, have used the Fibonacci number, also known as the golden number, for as long as they can remember.
Without a brain? Before Fibonacci figured it out? Who would have thought? But that’s not all.
Numbers are clear
In contrast to the times a word-user mistakes a word for another, which is in the thousands, the times a word-user mistakes zero for one, or one for a dozen, can be counted on the fingers of a hand or two.
Things have changed
Mathematicians used to believe the universe is written in math and the uni-verse should be called uni-math instead. But things have changed. Even the mathematicians now agree math is a word.