A percentage point or percent point is the description for the arithmetic difference between two percentages. For example, moving up from 40 percent to 44 percent is an increase of 4 percentage points. In written text, the unit is usually either written out, or abbreviated as pp, p.p., or %pt. to avoid confusion with percentage increase or decrease in the actual quantity. After the first occurrence, some writers abbreviate by using just "point" or "points".