最好的方法是:

function isNumber(num) {
  return (typeof num == 'string' || typeof num == 'number') && !isNaN(num - 0) && num !== '';
};

这满足以下测试用例:

assertEquals("ISNUMBER-True: 0", true, isNumber(0));
assertEquals("ISNUMBER-True: 1", true, isNumber(-1));
assertEquals("ISNUMBER-True: 2", true, isNumber(-500));
assertEquals("ISNUMBER-True: 3", true, isNumber(15000));
assertEquals("ISNUMBER-True: 4", true, isNumber(0.35));
assertEquals("ISNUMBER-True: 5", true, isNumber(-10.35));
assertEquals("ISNUMBER-True: 6", true, isNumber(2.534e25));
assertEquals("ISNUMBER-True: 7", true, isNumber('2.534e25'));
assertEquals("ISNUMBER-True: 8", true, isNumber('52334'));
assertEquals("ISNUMBER-True: 9", true, isNumber('-234'));

assertEquals("ISNUMBER-False: 0", false, isNumber(NaN));
assertEquals("ISNUMBER-False: 1", false, isNumber({}));
assertEquals("ISNUMBER-False: 2", false, isNumber([]));
assertEquals("ISNUMBER-False: 3", false, isNumber(''));
assertEquals("ISNUMBER-False: 4", false, isNumber('one'));
assertEquals("ISNUMBER-False: 5", false, isNumber(true));
assertEquals("ISNUMBER-False: 6", false, isNumber(false));
assertEquals("ISNUMBER-False: 7", false, isNumber());
assertEquals("ISNUMBER-False: 8", false, isNumber(undefined));
assertEquals("ISNUMBER-False: 9", false, isNumber(null));

我发现的最好的方法是检查字符串上的方法，即:

if (x.substring) {
// do string thing
} else{
// do other thing
}

或者如果你想对number属性做一些检查，

if (x.toFixed) {
// do number thing
} else {
// do other thing
}

这有点像“鸭子打字”，由你自己决定哪种方式最有意义。我没有足够的因果报应来评论，但typeof失败的盒装字符串和数字，即:

alert(typeof new String('Hello World'));
alert(typeof new Number(5));

将提醒“对象”。

@BitOfUniverse的答案很好，我想出了一个新方法:

function isNum(n) {
    return !isNaN(n/0);
}

isNum('')  // false
isNum(2)   // true
isNum('2k') // false
isNum('2')  //true

我知道0不可能是被除数，但这里函数是完美的。

//testing data types accurately in JavaScript (opposed to "typeof")
//from http://bonsaiden.github.com/JavaScript-Garden/
function is(type, obj) {
    var clas = Object.prototype.toString.call(obj).slice(8, -1);
    return obj !== undefined && obj !== null && clas === type;
}

//basic usage
is('String', 'test'); // true
is('Array', true); // false

或者调整它以返回未知类型:

function realTypeOf(obj) {
    return Object.prototype.toString.call(obj).slice(8, -1);
}

//usage
realTypeOf(999); // 'Number'

2012年5月12日更新: Javascript的完整例子:A Better typeof。

jQuery使用这个:

function isNumber(obj) {
  return !isNaN( parseFloat( obj ) ) && isFinite( obj );
}

检查值是否为string字面值或string对象:

function isString(o) {
    return typeof o == "string" || (typeof o == "object" && o.constructor === String);
}

单元测试:

function assertTrue(value, message) {
    if (!value) {
        alert("Assertion error: " + message);
    }
}

function assertFalse(value, message)
{
    assertTrue(!value, message);
}

assertTrue(isString("string literal"), "number literal");
assertTrue(isString(new String("String object")), "String object");
assertFalse(isString(1), "number literal");
assertFalse(isString(true), "boolean literal");
assertFalse(isString({}), "object");

检查一个数字类似:

function isNumber(o) {
    return typeof o == "number" || (typeof o == "object" && o.constructor === Number);
}