Writing dates in English may seem simple, but it's also complicated. Little information is conveyed, but there is not only one way of writing it. There are different formats for different situations, dialects, and purposes. When choosing a date format, use the one that is most clearly understood by the audience. If you enter the date in the form, choose a numeric format that will not invite misunderstanding. If you are writing to an international recipient, consider writing the month in letters or following International Standards. In terms of formality, you can follow the rules of a formal document by writing the full date, but please write a short date in an informal letter.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Following Dialectical Standards
Step 1. Write the month before the date in American English
The format used in the United States and countries that follow the American British convention is based on the order usually used in conversation. To do this, write down the month, followed by the date, and then the year. Examples like this:
- Oct 9
- October 9
- 10/09/22
Step 2. Place a comma between the date and year in American English sentences
In American English, the year is preceded by a comma. Use a comma when writing the date in letters or numbers. Enter a comma after the day if you include the day. The previous example would be written like this:
- October 9, 2022
- October ninth, 2022
- Sunday, October 9, 2022
- Placing a comma between the month and year in British English is optional.
Step 3. Place the date before the month in British English
This system is used in England, Ireland, Scotland, Australia and many countries around the world. The trick is to sort the data from the smallest to the largest, with the smallest detail (date) preceding the next larger category (month), and ending with the largest category (year). Depending on the level of formality used, you can write the date in the following variations:
- 9 Oct
- 9th October
- 9 October 2022
- 09/10/22
- Sunday the 9th of October 2022
Step 4. Enter “the” and “of” when writing the date in British English letters
If you're writing the date in sentence format, put "the" before the date and "of" before the month. Both must be used together, not one or the other. Examples of correct writing are as follows:
- The 9th of October
- Sunday the ninth of October
Step 5. Enter the ordinal indicator after the date in British English sentences
If you are using numbers instead of letters, add a 2-letter indicator after the last number. Choose one of the 4 ordinal indicators (-st, -nd, -rd, -th) that corresponds to the number suffix you are writing (for example, first and 1st, second and 2nd). As an example:
- The 21st of June
- The 22nd of July
- The 23rd of August
- The 24th of September
- Remember that the number ten is followed by -th. So, the writing is 11th, 12th, and 13th, not 11st, 12nd, and 13rd.
- This method is rarely used in American English, but is still accepted.
Step 6. Write the year first if using the International Standard
To avoid confusion between British English and American English, use International Standards. This system filters information from the largest categories to the smallest details. Place the year before the month and end with the date.
- The same date, written 10/09/22 in American English, but written 09/10/22 in British English, becomes 2022-10-09 in International Standards.
- You can also write 2022 October 9. Do not use commas between each data point.
- Write the year in full 4 digits when using this format.
Method 2 of 3: Using Different Levels of Formality and Coverage
Step 1. Write the date, month and year in letters for a very formal invitation
Even though it follows American English conventions, put the date first when writing the date in a sentence. Use this format only for very formal documents, such as wedding invitations or official certificates such as graduation certificates.
- For invitations, try writing something like, “We request your presence on the fifth of April in the year two thousand and twenty.”
- Use this format to show politeness and respect for the reader and the situation itself.
Step 2. Write the month in letters for formal and semiformal contexts
For less formal invitations, announcements, or correspondence, you can use numbers for the date and year, with the month spelled out in letters. This method is also commonly used in many academic manuals.
- When declaring an event or events, write “on” before the day. If the date is not included, use "in" before the month or year.
- In British English, you can write "she was born on 8 May 1883" or "she was born on the 8th of May 1883."
- In American English, try writing "she was born on May 8, 1883" or "she was born in May 1883."
Step 3. Select numbers for documents and notes
Write the date in numbers above a memo, lecture notes page, impersonal business note such as an invoice, or letter to indicate when the note was created or the due date. Use numbers in forms or in recording conventions. Use numbers in spreadsheets or file names, too, to tidy up data.
- You can enter the date in MM/DD/YY format on the card so that the recipient knows when you wrote it.
- The museum database uses the YYYY-MM-DD format to identify when an object was acquired.
- You may be asked to provide your date of birth in MM-DD-YYYY format on a government form.
Method 3 of 3: Formatting Numeric Dates
Step 1. Separate month, date, and year with a slash or dash
Use dashes or slashes to follow the most common methods of separating numbers. Choose dots for a more stylish version. If this option is not available when you want to include the date in the file name, try underscores. November 23 can be written in the following format in American English:
- 11-23-03
- 11/23/03
- 11.23.03
- 11_23_03
- Use hyphens for International Standards. The date above will be written 2003-23-11 in this format.
Step 2. Enter the optional “0” before the single-digit month and date
To write a date in numbers, add a "0" before writing the months January to September, and the first to the ninth day. This method is usually requested in the form, but can also be used to make a list of dates more organized. So, all numeric dates are the same length and allow proper sorting.
- For example, you could write 3/2/15 or 03/02/15.
- In the date list, 03/02/15 will be the same length as 12/02/15.
- If you use 3/2/15 in the list, earlier dates may not be sorted correctly after later dates. This is because the first digit in March (3) is larger than the first digit in December (1). Add a “0” in March to prevent this error.
Step 3. Use numbers when you see the “MM”, “DD”, and “YY” or “YYYY” guides in the form
When asked to provide a date on a form, you'll often see MM/DD/YY or DD-MM-YYYY. These letters indicate how many numbers to enter and in what order. The letters “MM” indicate the 2-digit month and “DD” indicate the 2-digit date. Meanwhile, “YY” indicates a 2-digit year, and “YYYY” asks you to enter a 4-digit year.
- Use “0” before the 1-digit date and month if needed.
- If asked to provide the date in MM/DD/YY, you can write 05/12/94.
- If asked to write the date in DD-MM-YYYY format, it means 12-05-1994.
- Maybe you see this letter without a separator. For the DDMMYY guide, just write 120594 unless otherwise noted.
