English for Runaways #271

Writing Dates in English

There is still frequent confusion on how to correctly write dates in English. Don't let be confused by differences in British English and American English:

In British English the day is put before the month. You only put a comma before the year, if the date is part of a sentence: The conference takes place 10-12 December, 2007.

Example: 5 October 2007

In American English the month is put before the day. It is common to write a comma before the year.

Example: October 5, 2007

You can also write the date by using numbers only. The most common forms are:

Example: 5/10/07 or 5-10-07

Note, however, that 5/10/07 usually means 5 October 2007 in British English and May 10, 2007 in American English. To avoid any possible confusion, you should spell out the month or use the abbreviation.

Example: 5/May/07 or Oct-10-07

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