How to write the date in English: Tips and techniques

“Why would anyone need to learn how to write the date in English?” you might ask.

It’s an understandable question. After allwe can be so used to seeing something that we may have never stopped to think about why it looks the way it does. One of those things is the date; we use it so oftenbut have you ever wondered why it’s formatted the way it is?

In this guidewe will discuss different ways to write dates and how they are formatted in various English-speaking countries. You’ll also learn the appropriate date format to use in formal and informal contextsand we’ll introduce you to a few different cultural and religious calendar systems.

Soscroll down and let’s get started!

How do you write the date correctly?

To write the date correctlyuse the format ‘Month DayYear’ for American Englishsuch as ‘October 52023’. For British Englishthe format is ‘Day Month Year’like ‘5 October 2023’. Ensure consistency in the format used throughout your document.

Date formats around the world

The way the date is written depends largely on the location and context you are in. Thereforeit’s important to be familiar with the different date formats used around the world so you can understand how to write them correctly.

Before we look at specific formatting requirementssuch as using periods or hyphenslet’s look at what order different countries write the date in.

What comes first: Daymonthor year?

While some countries follow the Day-Month-Year sequenceothers prefer Month-Day-Yearand still others use Year-Month-Day.

For examplewithin Europecountries like France and Germany prefer the Day-Month-Year orderwhile Sweden and Hungary lean toward Year-Month-Day. Isn’t it amazing how something as simple as a date can show off the variety present on the same continent?

The two most common date formats are used in British English and American Englishwhich we’ll look at next.

British English date format

The date order in British English is Day-Month-Year. More specificallythe month is usually written in wordsand the day and year are written with numbers. The date can also be represented using only numbers as DD-MM-YYYY.

Examples:

• 6 May 2019
• 30 August 1999
• 8-6-2013

American English date format

The date format in American English is Month-Day-Year. Similar to British Englishthe month is written in words and the day and year with numbers. Unlike British Englishthere is a comma used before listing the year.

When using only numbers to write the dateit’s written as MM-DD-YYYY.

Examples:

• August 62019
• August 162023
• 12-25-1992

International Organization Standardization (ISO) date format

The ISO date format is YYYY-MM-DD. This international standard recommends writing the date in numbersstarting with the yearthen the monthand then the day. This format is common in JapanChinaKoreaand Iran.

Examples:

• 2023-05-15
• 2019-09-10

Australian English date format

Like British Englishthe date format in Australia follows the Day-Month-Year order.

Examples:

• 7 August 2020
• 7-8-2020

Canadian English date format

The Standard Council of Canada specifies that the official date format in Canada is YYYY-MM-DD. But don’t be surprised if you see variations of other date formatsas some use the American (MM-DD-YY) and British (DD-MM-YYYY) s.

Examples:

• 2013-09-17
• 09-17-13
• 17-09-2013

Abbreviations and acronyms for months and days

When writing datesyou can shorten the month and day of the week by using an abbreviationwhich is usually the first three letters of the full name. For example“January” would become “Jan” and “Saturday” would become “Sat.”

Below are the abbreviations for all the months and days of the week.

Months:

*Note that there is no abbreviation for “May,” as it is already three letters long.

Days of the week:

Writing the date using only numbers

As shown aboveyou can also write dates using numbers only. In this casethe month is written as the number it appears in the calendar instead of using the full name or an abbreviation of it.

Soin American English“August 62019” would become “08/06/2019.”

Howeverthere are many formatting variations to consider when writing the date in numbers. These include:

• How to punctuate the digits (e.g.using a period or hyphen)
• Whether to write the year using four or two digits (e.g.“2019” or “19”)
• Whether to put a “0” before single-digit days and months (e.g.“08/06” or “8/6”)

Thereforethe above example could also be written as:

• 08-06-2019
• 08.06.2019
• 08/06/19
• 8/6/19

As you can seethere is no one correct format! It all depends on your preferenceso the most important thing is to be consistent across your writing. Alsomake sure your date is clear to prevent any misinterpretations. For examplewhen using numbers to refer to something that happened on “January 81920,” it’s best to write the year in full as “01/08/20” could be mistaken for “January 82020.”

Using ordinal numbers in dates

Another way of writing the date is to format the day of the month using ordinal numbers. To do thissimply add the appropriate ordinal suffix after the number.

Here’s the pattern:

• 1st (First)
• 2nd (Second)
• 3rd (Third)
• 4th (Fourth)
• 5th (Fifth)
• 6th (Sixth)
• 7th (Seventh)
• 8th (Eighth)
• 9th (Ninth)
• 10th (Tenth)

and so on.

Examples:

• April 1st
• July 22nd

Exceptions and special cases with ordinal dates

Pay special attention to dates that end with “1,” “2,” and “3.” These numbers don’t follow the usual pattern of adding “th.” Insteadthey end with “st,” “nd,” and “rd,” respectively.

Here’s how they look:

• 1st (First)
• 2nd (Second)
• 3rd (Third)
• 21st (Twenty-first)
• 22nd (Twenty-second)
• 23rd (Twenty-third)
• 31st (Thirty-first)

The only exceptions are “11,” “12,” and “13,” which follow the usual pattern:

• 11th (Eleventh)
• 12th (Twelfth)
• 13th (Thirteenth)

Writing the date in formal contexts

In the era of smartphones and calendar appswriting out dates doesn’t happen too often anymoreso it’s easy to forget the rules in formal contexts. But don’t worry; we’ve got you covered!

Official documents

Whether you’re signing contractsapplying for visasor filing government formsstick to the Month-Day-Year or Day-Month-Year order depending on your country’s preference. Howeveryou should write in full and avoid abbreviating the day/month or using numbers only.

Examples:

• December 122022 ✅
• August 72019 ✅
• Dec 122022 ❌
• 12-12-2022 ❌

Depending on the purpose of the documentyou can also omit the year.

Example:

• FridayOctober 4

You also have the option of using ordinal numbers instead of cardinal numbers when writing the date in full.

Example:

• The 14th of January 2018

Formal letters/emails

When composing a formal letter or emailthe date should be placed at the top of the pageeither left-aligned or right-alignedand usually below your address or letterhead. In block letter formatthe date appears one or two lines below the sender’s address and before the recipient’s address. For example:

• Sender’s address
  [one line space]
  Date (e.g.August 302023)
  [one line space]
  Recipient’s address

In American Englishuse the format Month DayYear (e.g.“August 302023”). In British Englishuse Day Month Year (e.g.“30 August 2023”).

Important: In formal lettersalways write the date in full. Avoid abbreviations (e.g.“Aug 30”) and numeric-only formats (e.g.“8/30/23”) to maintain professionalism and clarity.

Optionallyyou may include the day of the week for added formality or claritysuch as “FridayAugust 302023.”

Tip: Be consistent with your chosen date format throughout the entire letter and any attached documents. Consistency helps your writing appear polished and professional.

If you follow a specific guide (such as APA Style or The Chicago Manual of Style)date your work according to its rules. As usualensure your date follows the format of your location. For examplea British date format for an American audience could cause confusion. For other differences between American and British English vocabularysee this overview.

Business and academic settings

When drafting a research paperpresentation slidesor annual reportsthere’s one golden rule you need to be aware of: Consistency is your best friend.

If you follow a specific guide (such as APA Style or The Chicago Manual of Style)date your work according to its rules. As usualensure your date follows the format of your location. For examplea British date format for an American audience could cause confusion.

Writing the date in informal contexts

When it comes to more informal writingthe rules around date formatting aren’t as strict. We’ll look at some examples next.

Personal correspondence

You can embrace a more relaxed when sending a written note or letter to a friend or family member. Feel free to drop the year and stick with the month and day.

Example:

• Happy birthdaybestie! Hope you have an awesome June 15th!

You can also abbreviate the month or day of the week to give you some more space.

Examples:

• The party is on Aug 13.
• See you Sun!

Social media posts

Social media often calls for informal writing and date formats. You can omit the yearabbreviate the month and/or day of the weekor write the date in full. The choice is yours!

Everyday conversations

Dates might slip into your casualeveryday conversations. Say you’re organizing a coffee date with your friends over a group chatand you want to suggest WednesdayAugust 302023. You don’t have to write the month or day in full. Insteadyou could type “August 30th” or on the “30th of this month.”

As long as people can understand what you meanyou can use any format you want!

Writing dates in different calendar systems

The Gregorian calendar is the most commonly used calendar in the world. But did you know there are other religious and cultural calendar systemsand some of them also use different date formats?

Let’s take a look at a few examples:

Islamic calendar (Hijri calendar)

The Hijri calendar is based on the lunar cycle and is used in many Muslim countries. The year 2023 in the Gregorian calendar overlaps with 1444 and 1445 in the Islamic calendar.

The Islamic calendar uses the DD-MM-YYYY format. For examplethe first day of the ninth Islamic monthRamadanmight be written as “01-09-1444.”

Hebrew calendar

This calendar is used in Jewish communities and is both lunar and solar. Months alternate between 29 and 30 daysand an extra month is added in specific years to keep it aligned with the solar year.

The Hebrew calendar uses the DD-MM-YYYY format as well. For examplethe first day of the month of Tishrei might be written as “01-07-5784.”

Chinese lunar calendar

Embraced by China and other East Asian countriesthis calendar is dependent on the moon’s phases and has 12 or 13 months a year.

This system doesn’t use the YYYY-MM-DD or the DD-MM-YYYY format. Insteadit often uses the traditional lunisolar month and day notation. For examplethe first day of the first month would be written as “01-01.”

Hindu calendar

Popular in Indiathis calendar is a mix of lunar and solar. The Hindu calendar has 12 months with dates written using the traditional lunisolar month and day format. For examplethe first day of the month of Chaitra might be written as “01-01.”

Ethiopian calendar (Ge’ez calendar)

Ethiopia follows a calendar with 13 monthsand it is around 7–8 years behind the Gregorian calendar. The date format for this calendar is DD-MM-YYYYfor example“12-01-2014.”

Thai solar calendar

Thailand uses a calendar based on the solar year and is 543 years ahead of the Gregorian calendar. It uses the DD-MM-YYYY format. For examplethe first day of the Thai month of Songkran might be written as “13-04-2565.”

Converting dates from one calendar system to another

Because of the differences between these systemsconverting dates from one to another can be a lot like translating them into a new language.

For examplelet’s say you have a date in the Gregorian calendarsuch as August 302023. But you want to know what that date would be in the Islamic calendar. As the Islamic calendar is based on lunar monthsthe year is shorter than the Gregorian calendar.

Soyou would first need to work out which year in the Islamic calendar lines up with 2023 in the Gregorian calendar. Thenyou can adjust the month and day according to the Islamic calendar’s lunar months. (You can also use online calendar converters to make things a little easier!)

Conclusion

Rememberdates are more than just numbers; they let you note when certain events happen and help record essential periods in history. Whether you’re celebrating a birthdaymarking an anniversaryor simply jotting down details of an important eventhow you write dates matters. Pay attention to the formats and rules above to guide you through how to write the date in English.

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