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How to write dates and time in English
15.02.2026
14 minutes to read
The date “03/04/2024” in English can mean two different days - and that's no joke. In the US, it's March 4, and in the UK, it's April 3. Same entry, but different meaning. A mistake in date format can cause confusion in documents, correspondence, bookings and business letters. In this article, let's understand how to write dates correctly in English, how the American and British format differs and what rules are really important to remember.
Table of contents
Date formats
There are two main date formats used in English: American and British. They differ in the order of specifying the day and month, which is the reason why most often errors occur in correspondence, filling out forms and making reservations.
The main rule: by numbers it is impossible to understand the format without context, so in official and important situations it is better to write the month in words.
The main rule: by numbers it is impossible to understand the format without context, so in official and important situations it is better to write the month in words.
In the United States, the date is written in the order:
month - day - year (MM/DD/YYYYY).
Examples:
When writing words, a comma is used before the year:
April 3, 2024
This format is used in the United States in documents, business correspondence, questionnaires, websites, and reservation systems.
month - day - year (MM/DD/YYYYY).
Examples:
- 04/03/2024 → April 3, 2024
- 12/25/2023 → December 25, 2023
When writing words, a comma is used before the year:
April 3, 2024
This format is used in the United States in documents, business correspondence, questionnaires, websites, and reservation systems.
American date format: how to write correctly
In the UK, a different order is adopted:
day - month - year (DD/MM/YYYYY).
Examples:
No comma in this variant:
April 3, 2024
The British format is used in the United Kingdom, as well as in many European countries and international organizations.
Comparison of American and British formats of date writing is presented in the table:
day - month - year (DD/MM/YYYYY).
Examples:
- 03/04/2024 → April 3, 2024
- 25/12/2023 → December 25, 2023
No comma in this variant:
April 3, 2024
The British format is used in the United Kingdom, as well as in many European countries and international organizations.
Comparison of American and British formats of date writing is presented in the table:
How to write dates in British format
In order for a date in English to be understood correctly and not cause errors, it is better to write the month in words whenever possible, especially in documents, contracts and reservations. Writing the form 3 April 2024 or April 3, 2024 completely eliminates ambiguity and immediately shows which format is used.
It is also important to consider the country of the recipient. The US uses the American format, while the UK and most European countries use the British format. If you use only numbers without clarification, there is a risk that the day and month will be interpreted the other way around.
In business correspondence and official materials, it is advisable to avoid exclusively numeric date format if it is not known in advance who will read the message. If necessary, you can additionally specify that American or British format is used.
It is also important to consider the country of the recipient. The US uses the American format, while the UK and most European countries use the British format. If you use only numbers without clarification, there is a risk that the day and month will be interpreted the other way around.
In business correspondence and official materials, it is advisable to avoid exclusively numeric date format if it is not known in advance who will read the message. If necessary, you can additionally specify that American or British format is used.
Writing minutes and hours in English
In English, time is most often written in digital format with a colon: hours:minutes. For example, 09:30, 14:05 or 18:45. This variant is used in timetables, tickets, reservations, business correspondence and documents.
If you need to specify the time of day, add the designations a.m. (before noon) and p.m. (before noon). (before noon) and p.m. (afternoon). For example, 7:30 a.m. means 7:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. means 9:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. These rules are the same for both American and British English.
In colloquial speech, time is often spoken in words. In doing so, the minutes are called first and then the hour. For example, 5:10 is spoken as ten past five, and 7:50 is spoken as ten to eight. To denote even time, the word o'clock is used, and for 15 and 30 minutes - quarter and half. This way is more common in spoken speech and movies, but in writing it is usually retained when writing numerically.
If you need to specify the time of day, add the designations a.m. (before noon) and p.m. (before noon). (before noon) and p.m. (afternoon). For example, 7:30 a.m. means 7:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. means 9:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. These rules are the same for both American and British English.
In colloquial speech, time is often spoken in words. In doing so, the minutes are called first and then the hour. For example, 5:10 is spoken as ten past five, and 7:50 is spoken as ten to eight. To denote even time, the word o'clock is used, and for 15 and 30 minutes - quarter and half. This way is more common in spoken speech and movies, but in writing it is usually retained when writing numerically.
The days of the week in English are always capitalized. This is a mandatory rule that applies both at the beginning of a sentence and in the middle of a text. For example: Monday, Friday, Sunday.
Full names are used in official texts, letters and documents. In everyday correspondence and notes, abbreviated forms are often used:
When giving a date, the day of the week is usually placed before the date:
A comma after the day of the week is used in both formats.
Prepositions are often used in speech and writing:
Knowing these rules helps you to correctly write dates in English in letters, schedules, business correspondence and academic assignments.
Full names are used in official texts, letters and documents. In everyday correspondence and notes, abbreviated forms are often used:
- Monday → Mon
- Tuesday → Tue
- Wednesday → Wed
- Thursday → Thu
- Friday → Fri
- Saturday → Sat
- Sunday → Sun
When giving a date, the day of the week is usually placed before the date:
- Monday, April 3, 2025 (American version)
- Monday, April 3, 2025 (British version)
A comma after the day of the week is used in both formats.
Prepositions are often used in speech and writing:
- On - for a specific day (on Monday, on Friday)
- At - for exact time (at 6 p.m. on Monday)
- In - for periods (in April, in 2024).
Knowing these rules helps you to correctly write dates in English in letters, schedules, business correspondence and academic assignments.
Writing the days of the week in English
The names of months in English are always capitalized, regardless of their position in the sentence. This rule applies in correspondence, documents, academic assignments and any official texts.
The full form of months is used in neutral and formal speech. In tables, calendars, and summary records, abbreviations are allowed, the most common being:
The position of the month in the date depends on the format. In the American version, the month is given first, followed by the number and year (April 3, 2024), while in the British version, the number is given first, followed by the month (April 3, 2024).
Different prepositions are used with month names, depending on the context:
These rules help you to write dates correctly in English and avoid mistakes both in your studies and in business correspondence.
The full form of months is used in neutral and formal speech. In tables, calendars, and summary records, abbreviations are allowed, the most common being:
- January → Jan
- February → Feb
- March → Mar
- April → Apr
- May → May
- June → Jun
- July → Jul
- August → Aug
- September → Sep / Sept
- October → Oct
- November → Nov
- December → Dec
The position of the month in the date depends on the format. In the American version, the month is given first, followed by the number and year (April 3, 2024), while in the British version, the number is given first, followed by the month (April 3, 2024).
Different prepositions are used with month names, depending on the context:
- in - if only a month or a month with a year is mentioned (in April, in September 2025)
- on - if the exact date is mentioned (on April 3, on April 3).
These rules help you to write dates correctly in English and avoid mistakes both in your studies and in business correspondence.
Writing months in English
Years
In English, the year on a letter is indicated by regular numbers: 2024, 1998, 2005. As part of the full date, it is always placed at the end: April 3, 2024 in the American format and 3 April 2024 in the British format. This rule applies to documents, letters, questionnaires, tickets and any official texts.
If the year is used separately, it is most often preceded by the preposition in: in 2024, in 1998, in 2005. This variant is used when talking about events that took place in a certain year, for example: I was born in 2001 or The company was founded in 2010.
In oral speech, years are almost never read by single digits. They are usually divided into two parts or pronounced through the construction twenty... for modern dates. For example:
This way of pronunciation is considered neutral and is used in everyday speech, news, lectures and business communication. A common mistake is to pronounce the year by numbers, e.g. two zero two four. This option is only possible when dictating a number or code, but not the calendar year.
If the year is used separately, it is most often preceded by the preposition in: in 2024, in 1998, in 2005. This variant is used when talking about events that took place in a certain year, for example: I was born in 2001 or The company was founded in 2010.
In oral speech, years are almost never read by single digits. They are usually divided into two parts or pronounced through the construction twenty... for modern dates. For example:
- 1998 → nineteen ninety-eight
- 2024 → twenty twenty twenty-four
- 2010 → twenty ten
- 2000 → two thousand
- 1900 → nineteen hundred
This way of pronunciation is considered neutral and is used in everyday speech, news, lectures and business communication. A common mistake is to pronounce the year by numbers, e.g. two zero two four. This option is only possible when dictating a number or code, but not the calendar year.
In English, decades are usually written in the plural form of the year. This is the most common and neutral variant, and is used in educational materials, articles, news and official texts:
Note that an s is added after the numbers, without an apostrophe. The 1990's form is considered erroneous in modern English.
In informal speech and correspondence, a shortened version with an apostrophe before the digits, such as the '90s or the '80s, is also common. This format is acceptable in blogs, social networks and colloquial speech, but in business and academic texts it is preferable to use the full form - the 1990s.
In spoken language, decades are pronounced as plural ordinals: the nineteen nineties, the two thousands. To indicate a period, the constructions in the 1990s or during the 2000s are most often used when talking about events, trends, technologies or changes that took place in a particular decade.
- the 1980s
- the 1990s
- the 2000s - the 2000s
Note that an s is added after the numbers, without an apostrophe. The 1990's form is considered erroneous in modern English.
In informal speech and correspondence, a shortened version with an apostrophe before the digits, such as the '90s or the '80s, is also common. This format is acceptable in blogs, social networks and colloquial speech, but in business and academic texts it is preferable to use the full form - the 1990s.
In spoken language, decades are pronounced as plural ordinals: the nineteen nineties, the two thousands. To indicate a period, the constructions in the 1990s or during the 2000s are most often used when talking about events, trends, technologies or changes that took place in a particular decade.
Decades
In English, centuries are denoted using ordinal numerals and the word century. The century number is always one more than the first two digits of the year. For example, the 1800s belong to the 19th century, and the 2000s to the 21st century.
In writing, the most commonly used forms are:
The word century is usually used with the definite article the, as it refers to a specific historical period.
In oral speech, such constructions are read as the nineteenth century, the twentieth century, the twenty-first century. When indicating time in a sentence, the preposition in is often used:
It is important not to confuse the century number with the year number. For example, 1912 refers to the 20th century, but 2005 refers to the 21st century. This mistake is common among English language learners when translating historical dates and describing events.
Spelling dates correctly in English boils down to three key things: understanding the difference between American and British format, writing the month in words in important documents, and not confusing the order of day, month, and year. If you additionally consider the rules for writing time, years, decades, and centuries, you can avoid mistakes in correspondence, contracts, reservations, and academic assignments. It is enough to learn these basic rules once to confidently use dates in English in any working and everyday situation.
In writing, the most commonly used forms are:
- the 19th century
- the 20th century
- the 21st century
The word century is usually used with the definite article the, as it refers to a specific historical period.
In oral speech, such constructions are read as the nineteenth century, the twentieth century, the twenty-first century. When indicating time in a sentence, the preposition in is often used:
- in the 20th century
- in the 21st century
It is important not to confuse the century number with the year number. For example, 1912 refers to the 20th century, but 2005 refers to the 21st century. This mistake is common among English language learners when translating historical dates and describing events.
Spelling dates correctly in English boils down to three key things: understanding the difference between American and British format, writing the month in words in important documents, and not confusing the order of day, month, and year. If you additionally consider the rules for writing time, years, decades, and centuries, you can avoid mistakes in correspondence, contracts, reservations, and academic assignments. It is enough to learn these basic rules once to confidently use dates in English in any working and everyday situation.
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