The only explanation I can think of doesn't match your description, but it
would be that you've got a tab character after the number, and the style has
a tab stop set very close to the left margin. Most of the characters are
wide enough to overrun that tab stop, but i, j, and l are narrow and don't.
If you're using simple numbering (as oppposed to outline numbering) Word
doesn't allow you to specify the character after the number, so you do have
a tab whether you know it or not.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
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"Erik" wrote in message
...
I use Word 2003, but I saw the same problem with the previous version.
Basically, I have a numbered outline that is part of a defined style.
Here's
how it looks:

a. blah
b. blah
c. blah
d. blah
e. blah
f. blah
g. blah
h. blah
i. blah
j. blah
k. blah
l. blah
m. blah

I have defined the outline to place one space after the letter number.
The
"Text Position" settings are both 0.75" and "Aligned at" is 0.5." I have
to
add 3 spaces to the i, j, and l items to get them to line up.