How to write date in word

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You can insert the current date, or the date and time, into a Word document as plain text or as a field that updates automatically.

Insert today’s date

If you don’t need the date to update automatically, you can insert the current date as text.

  1. On the Insert tab, in the Text group, click Date & Time.

    Selecting Date & Time on the Insert tab

  2. In the Date and time dialog box, select the format you want and click OK.

    The Date and Time dialog box

    The date is inserted as text.

Insert a date that updates automatically

If you’d like the date to be updated every time someone opens the document, you can insert the date as a field.

  1. On the Insert tab, in the Text group, click Date & Time.

    Selecting Date & Time on the Insert tab

  2. In the Date and time dialog box, select the format you want.

  3. Select the Update automatically check box.

    Selecting the Update automatically check box

    The date is inserted as a field and will update automatically.

Edit or update a date field

If you selected Update automatically when inserting the date, you’ll see a faint gray box when you rest your mouse pointer over the date. This means you’ve inserted a field that you can change or update.

A gray box indicates an editable date field

  • To edit the date, click the gray box, type a new date, and then click outside the box.

  • To change the date back to the current date, click the date field and click Update.

    Editing or updating a date field

    Note: If you manually change the date and then save and close your document, the next time the document is opened, Word will show the current date.

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Summary

To write the exact date, spell out the month, and write the day and the year in numerals. The American date format is month-day-year, with a comma between day and year (May 1, 2022), while the British format is day-month-year, with no comma between month and year (1 May 2022). Don’t use ordinal numbers in dates in formal texts (May 1st, 2022). You may also show the day of the week (Sunday, May 1, 2022).

If only the month and year are shown, don’t insert a comma between the two (May 2022). To specify the day alone, write it as an ordinal number (We arrive on the first).

Date: Month, day, and year

The American date format is month-day-year. In running text, spell out the month, and write the day and year in numerals. Use commas to separate day and year. Don’t use ordinals (st, nd, rd, th).

Examples

  • The Declaration of Independence was issued on July 4, 1776.
  • They were married on October 25, 2019, on a beach in the Maldives.
  • On January 20, 2021, Joe Biden became president of the United States.

Caution

To set off the year, use commas in pairs: a comma must appear not just before but also after the year.

Example

  • Incorrect: It was on August 14, 1945 that an armistice was finally declared.
    Correct: It was on August 14, 1945, that an armistice was finally declared.

The British date format is day-month-year. The day and year are written in numerals, and the month is spelled out. No comma is needed between month and year. This system is also followed in much of Europe and the rest of the world.

Examples

  • On 15 August 1947, India gained independence from Britain.
  • The Channel Tunnel opened on 6 May 1992, linking London and Paris by rail.
  • The UK left the EU on 31 January 2020.

Date: Month and year

When only month and year are specified, the month appears before the year. No comma is needed between the two.

Examples

  • Twitter was founded in March 2006 and launched later that year.
  • In January 2020, reports of a new respiratory virus emerged from China.
  • Farley first lost the lottery in November 1997.

Tip

The preposition “of” between month and year is unnecessary and omitted in formal writing.

Example

  • This report was originally published in May of 2015.

Date: Day and month

When it is clear which year is being referred to, you may indicate only day and month. Spell out the month, and write the day in numerals. Remember that day follows month in American usage. Don’t use ordinal numbers (st, nd, rd, th).

Examples

  • Her birthday is November 23.
  • The last day to submit your applications is February 10.
  • On May 11 this year, our astronauts landed on Venus.

In British and other European writing, the day appears before the month.

Examples

  • My daughter was born on 23 November last year.
  • The deadline is 10 February.
  • On 11 May this year, our astronauts landed on Mars.

Note

The use of ordinal numbers (st, nd, rd, th) in dates is unnecessary. Avoid it in formal writing.

Example

  • Poor: The Durandians landed on July 19th at 3 p.m.
    Better: The Durandians landed on July 19 at 3 p.m.

In creative and other informal writing, the day and the month are often shown in words.

Example

  • They were married on the nineteenth of September last year.

Date: The day alone

When only the day is mentioned, spell out single-digit numbers. Two-digit days may be either spelled out or written in numerals. Use ordinal numbers (st, nd, rd, th).

Examples

  • We woke up early on the morning of the fifth.
  • We’ll reach on the sixteenth (or the 16th).

Tip

Style guides differ in their recommendations on whether to write numbers in numerals or words. Numbers under 10 are generally spelled out. The Chicago Manual of Style recommends spelling out two-digit numbers as well, while the AP Stylebook and APA Publication Manual suggest using figures for numbers from 10 onward.

When using figures, don’t set the ordinal in superscript (16th, not 16th).

Date with day of the week

To show a day of the week alongside a date, write the day followed by a comma, and then write the date. This can be helpful in appointments and invitations.

Examples

  • American: The apocalypse was expected to happen on Saturday, May 21, 2011.
  • British: The conference starts on Monday, 8 August 2022.

The date in numerals

Dates may be written in all numerals. A numeric date format is used when the date is standalone—for example, in a signature. The U.S. date format is month-day-year, while the day-month-year format is followed by the UK and other nations. Slashes or hyphens are used to separate the parts of the date.

Examples

  • American: Signed 5-11-21

    for May 11, 2021

    British: Signed 11-5-21

    for 11 May 2021

  • American: Dated 11/5/2021

    for November 5, 2021

    British: Dated 5/11/2021

    for 5 November 2021

All-numeric dates are also written in the YYYY-MM-DD format, as specified by the ISO. This internationally agreed way to show dates is common in government, corporate, and other official usage. One of the benefits of this system is that it makes for easier sorting and storage of files and folders. In file names and data entries, hyphens are generally omitted.

Examples

  • Please submit all applications by 2023-05-01.

    referring to May 1, 2023

  • Application_20230501

    date in a file name

The date in words

Dates are generally written in words rather than numerals in creative writing and legal documents. Spell out the day and the month, but use numerals for the year.

Examples

  • Where were you on the night of the fifteenth at 11 p.m.?
  • On the twenty-second of January 2021, an object landed in Farley’s garden.
  • They left on the first of December.

Caution

In formal writing, follow the prescribed format of writing the day and year in figures and spelling out the month.

Examples

  • American: On January 22, 2021, an object landed in Farley’s garden.
    British: On 22 January 2021, an object landed in Farley’s garden.
  • American: They left on December 1.
    British: They left on 1 December.

The month abbreviated

When part of a specific date, the month may be abbreviated. Write the first three letters of the month, followed by a period. Don’t abbreviate May, June, and July. In formal writing, abbreviations for dates are useful in tables and charts but avoided in running text.

Examples

  • Jan. 9, 1997
  • Feb. 24, 2022
  • Mar. 19
  • Dec. 31
  • May 1, 1997
  • June 23
  • July 31

In British style, the form is day-month-year.

Examples

  • 9 Jan. 1997
  • 24 Feb. 2022
  • 19 Mar.
  • 31 Dec.
  • 1 May
  • 23 June

Note

In AP style, the abbreviations Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. are used. The remaining months are not abbreviated.

Periods may be omitted in informal usage, if there are space constraints, or in a fixed format, such as a table. The months June and July are also then abbreviated.

Examples

  • Jan 9, 2021
  • 9 Jan 2021
  • 9-Jan-2021
  • Jun 11, 2023
  • 11-Jun-2023
  • 29 Dec 2051

On vs. in with dates

Use on with a date with the exact day. Use in to refer to the month or the year.

Examples

  • Your flight departs on August 3, 2022.
  • Your flight departs on the third of August.
  • but

  • The restaurant will reopen in August 2022.
  • The restaurant will reopen in August.
  • The restaurant will reopen in 2022.

The date of birth in words is written using number names with date in ordinal numbers in the format of dd-mm-year. Explanation: The format that is employed to mark the date of birth in words includes the usage of number names. The date is written in ordinal format.

Contents

  • 1 How do you write date of birth in figures and words?
  • 2 What is the meaning of date of birth in words?
  • 3 How do you write out a date?
  • 4 How do you write the year 1998 in words?
  • 5 How do you write 1999 in words?
  • 6 How do you write 2006 in words?
  • 7 How do you write date of birth on resume?
  • 8 Is it correct to say date of birth?
  • 9 How do you write 2008 in words?
  • 10 How do you say date of birth in words in India?
  • 11 How do you write dates in a sentence?
  • 12 How do you write date and time together?
  • 13 How do you write the year 1996 in words?
  • 14 How Do You Spell year 1995?
  • 15 What is 20 in word form?
  • 16 How do you write 90 in a letter?
  • 17 How do you read 1111 in words?
  • 18 What is the number name of 19?
  • 19 Is birth date one word or two?
  • 20 How do you write date of birth in USA?

How do you write date of birth in figures and words?

Example if a person born on 17 May 1991, it is written as 17-5-1991. This is the formal way of writing which is followed in India. It is also used in application forms, registration forms etc.

What is the meaning of date of birth in words?

: the month, day, and year a person was born Give your full name and date of birth.

How do you write out a date?

To write the exact date, spell out the month, and write the day and the year in numerals. The American format is month-day-year, with a comma between day and year. In British style, which is day-month-year, no comma is needed between month and year.

How do you write the year 1998 in words?

1998 in English Words is : one thousand nine hundred ninety-eight.

How do you write 1999 in words?

1999 in Words

  1. 1999 in Words = One Thousand Nine Hundred and Ninety Nine.
  2. One Thousand Nine Hundred and Ninety Nine in Numbers = 1999.

How do you write 2006 in words?

2006 in English Words is : two thousand six.

How do you write date of birth on resume?

Use the header. If you don’t want to include other personal details, try putting your date of birth in the header of your resume. Underneath your name and contact information, include a line that briefly lists your date of birth.

Is it correct to say date of birth?

Hence, both are correct, but if you need to ask someone about his/her full D.O.B. (date, month,year) then definitely the first one is appropriate.

How do you write 2008 in words?

2008 in English Words is : two thousand eight.

How do you say date of birth in words in India?

The date of birth in words is written using number names with date in ordinal numbers in the format of dd-mm-year. Explanation: The format that is employed to mark the date of birth in words includes the usage of number names. The date is written in ordinal format.

How do you write dates in a sentence?

When writing a date, a comma is used to separate the day from the month, and the date from the year.

  1. July 4, 1776, was an important day in American history.
  2. I was born on Sunday, May 12, 1968.
  3. The project will commence on 1 June 2018.

How do you write date and time together?

In traditional American usage, dates are written in the month–day–year order (e.g. December 13, 2021) with a comma before and after the year if it is not at the end of a sentence, and time in 12-hour notation (2:05 am).

How do you write the year 1996 in words?

The Number 1996 in Words
1996 is the one thousand nine hundred and ninety-sixth number.

How Do You Spell year 1995?

You normally split up the year in tens. 1985 is split up in 19 and 85. (You say: nineteen eighty-five).
1. General.

You write You say
1995 nineteen ninety-five
2000 two thousand
twenty hundred
2002 two thousand (and) two

What is 20 in word form?

Twenty
20 in words is written as Twenty.

How do you write 90 in a letter?

90 in words is written as Ninety.

How do you read 1111 in words?

1111 in words is written as One Thousand One Hundred and Eleven.

What is the number name of 19?

Number Name 1 to 50 in English

1 = One 11 = Eleven 21 = Twenty-one
7 = Seven 17 = Seventeen 27 = Twenty-seven
8 = Eight 18 = Eighteen 28 = Twenty-eight
9 = Nine 19 = Nineteen 29 = Twenty-nine
10 = Ten 20 = Twenty 30 = Thirty

Is birth date one word or two?

“Birthdate” as a compound word is more common on official forms and in writing. Birth date may be the way that it is spoken by most English speakers, who rarely use it as a compound word. If its usage is for a database then it would be best to stick with using “birthdate”, the compound word.

How do you write date of birth in USA?

The United States is one of the few countries that use “mm-dd-yyyy” as their date format–which is very very unique! The day is written first and the year last in most countries (dd-mm-yyyy) and some nations, such as Iran, Korea, and China, write the year first and the day last (yyyy-mm-dd).

How to Write the Date in a Document

In an era of calendar apps, we don’t have to write the date down often. But this does mean that it’s easy to forget the rules for writing dates in different places. It’s lucky, then, that we’re here to help!

Writing the Date in Full

In formal writing, always write the date in full when it is part of a sentence. This usually involves giving the day of the month, the month, and the year:

The meeting will take place on April 21, 2019.

Note that the year follows after a comma. You can, however, use a few different formats. This can include omitting the year or adding the day of the week. In addition, you can use ordinal instead of cardinal numbers when writing the date out in full with the day before the month:

  • Thursday, October 3
  • Tuesday, August 6, 2019
  • The 21st of April 2019

The letters that follow the numbers above are a little old fashioned, but they are not incorrect. You may also see these numbers formatted as superscript. Whichever date format you use, however, make sure to apply it consistently for all dates in your document.

Abbreviating the Date

In less formal writing, or when the date is not part of the main text in a document, you can abbreviate the month to save space. For instance, “August 20, 2019” could be abbreviated to “Aug. 20, 2019.” The same can be done with days (e.g., “Tuesday” becomes “Tue.”).

Typically, the first three letters are used as the abbreviation for any day or month. However, some style guides (e.g., MLA) recommend only doing this for months with more than five letters.

Writing the Date as Numerals

You can also write the date as numerals. The format to use here is month/day/year. There are, however, a number of variations, including:

  • Whether to put a “0” before single-digit months and days
  • Whether to write the year in full or just the last two digits
  • How to punctuate the date

For example, we could write March 4, 2019 in any of the following ways:

  • 03/04/2019
  • 03.04.19
  • 3-4-2019

The best format is a matter of preference, as long as you use it consistently. However, you should also keep clarity in mind. For instance, if referring to something that could have happened in either 1902 or 2002, you should always give the year in full to prevent confusion!

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Other Date Formats

We should now give a few thoughts to the rest of the world. After all, the month/day/year format used in the US is not really used anywhere else (except for the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands).

For some reason, the Marshall Islands tourism board focuses more on the beaches than the date format.

Around the rest of the world, the most common format is day/month/year (e.g., in the UK and Australia). A few places also use a year/month/day format (e.g., China), but this is very rare in English.

This variation is especially important to remember with numeric dates, as it can be easy to get confused unless you know the format.

For instance, “4/10/2019” would refer to April 10 in the US, but it would refer to October 4 in Britain or France. So make sure to check the date format being used when dealing with other countries, otherwise you might be very early or very late for appointments in Europe!

The International Date Format

Finally, if you’re sharing information across the world, you may want to use the international date format (ISO 8601). This is a standardized format that works across borders, so it is commonly used by government organizations and global businesses. And it always uses the format YYYY-MM-DD, which removes any chance of confusion:

We sent the invoice on 2020-07-10.

The date above, for example, denotes July 10, 2020.

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Writing out the date can seem simple and oddly complicated at the same time. You only have a few pieces of information to convey, but there’s no one way to write the date. Instead, there are a handful of formatting varieties for different occasions, dialects, and purposes. When choosing a date format, use the one that will provide the most clarity to your audience. If you’re entering dates into a form, stick with a numerical format that can’t be confused. If you’re writing to an international recipient, consider spelling out the month or following the International Standard. In terms of formality, you can show respect on a formal document by writing out the entire date, but feel free to keep the date on an informal letter short and sweet.

  1. Image titled Write Dates Step 1

    1

    List the month before the day in American English. This format, used in the United States and other countries that follow American English conventions, is based on the order typically used in conversation. To use it, write out the month, followed by the day, followed by the year. This may look like the following examples:

    • Oct 9
    • October 9
    • 10/09/22
  2. Image titled Write Dates Step 2

    2

    Place a comma between the day and year in American English sentences. In American English, the year is preceded by a comma. Use this comma whether you’re spelling out the day or using the numeral. Include a comma after the weekday as well if you’re including it. The previous example would be written out as:

    • October 9, 2022
    • October ninth, 2022
    • Sunday, October 9, 2022
    • Placing a comma between the month and year in British English is optional.

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  3. Image titled Write Dates Step 3

    3

    Order the day before the month in British English. This system is used in the United Kingdom, Australia, and many countries around the world. To follow it, order the data points from narrowest to broadest, with the narrowest detail (the day) preceding the next broader category (the month), and ending with the broadest category (the year). Depending on the level of formality you’re using, you could write the date in any of the following variations:

    • 9 Oct
    • 9th October
    • 9 October 2022
    • 09/10/22
    • Sunday the 9th of October 2022
  4. Image titled Write Dates Step 4

    4

    Include “the” and “of” when spelling out dates in British English. If you are writing out the date in sentence format, place “the” before the day and “of” before the month. It’s important to use both together, and not just one or the other. Correct possibilities include:

    • The 9th of October
    • Sunday the ninth of October
  5. Image titled Write Dates Step 5

    5

    Insert an ordinal indicator after the day in British English sentences. If you’re using numerals instead of spelling out the day, add a 2-letter ordinal indicator after the last numeral. Choose one of the 4 ordinal indicators (-st, -nd, -rd, -th) that corresponds with the suffix of the spelled-out word (eg. first and 1st, second and 2nd). For example, you could write the following:

    • The 21st of June
    • The 22nd of July
    • The 23rd of August
    • The 24th of September
    • Note that numerals in the teens are followed by -th. So you’d write 11th, 12th, and 13th instead of 21st, 22nd, and 23rd.
    • This tactic is less commonly used in American English but is still accepted.
  6. Image titled Write Dates Step 6

    6

    Identify the year first when using the International Standard. To avoid confusion across British and American English, use the International Standard. This system filters the information from the broadest category to the narrowest detail. Place the year before the month and conclude with the day.

    • The same date, which would be 10/09/22 in American English but 09/10/22 in British English becomes 2022-10-09 in the International Standard.
    • You could also write this date out as 2022 October 9. Don’t use commas between any of the data points.
    • Always include the full 4-digit year when using this format.
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  1. Image titled Write Dates Step 7

    1

    Spell out the day, month, and year for highly formal invitations. Even if you follow American English conventions, include the day first when you spell out each piece of information. Use this format only for the most formal documents, such as a wedding invitation or a formal certificate such as a diploma.[1]

    • For an invitation, try “We request your presence on the fifth of April in the year two thousand and twenty.”
    • Use this format to express courtesy and deference to the reader and the occasion.
  2. Image titled Write Dates Step 8

    2

    Spell out only the month within formal and semi-formal contexts. For a less-formal invitation, announcement, or piece of correspondence, it is acceptable to include numerals for the day and year along with the spelled-out version of the month. This is also common in many academic style manuals.[2]

    • When identifying an event or occasion, write “on” before a day. If you omit the day, insert “in” before the month or year.
    • In British English, you could write “she was born on 8 May 1883” or “she was born on the 8th of May 1883.”
    • In American English, try “she was born on May 8, 1883” or “she was born in May 1883.”
  3. Image titled Write Dates Step 9

    3

    Choose numerals when dating documents and records. Write the date out in numerals at the top of a memo, a page of lecture notes, an impersonal business record such as an invoice, or piece of correspondence to indicate when the record was created or when something is due.[3]
    Use all numerals when prompted by a form or in following record-keeping conventions. Try using numerical dates in a spreadsheet or filename as well to streamline your data.

    • You can include the date in MM/DD/YY format at the top of a greeting card so your recipient knows when it was written.
    • A museum database may use 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.
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  1. Image titled Write Dates Step 10

    1

    Separate the month, day, and year with slashes or hyphens. Use either hyphens or forward slashes to conform with the most common methods for separating numerals. Choose periods or bullets for a more stylized version. If none of these options are available for including a date in a filename, try underscores instead. The twenty-third of November could be written out in any of the following formats in American English:

    • 11-23-03
    • 11/23/03
    • 11.23.03
    • 11_23_03
    • Stick with hyphens for the International Standard. The same date would be written as 2003-23-11 in this format.[4]
  2. Image titled Write Dates Step 11

    2

    Include an optional “0” before single-digit month and day numbers. When writing dates numerically, add a “0” before January through September and the first through the ninth day of the month. This is often required in forms but you can use it to make your own list of dates visually neater. It will make all of your numerical dates the same length and will allow for correct data sorting.

    • For instance, you could use either 3/2/15 or 03/02/15.
    • In a list of dates, 03/02/15 would be the same length as 12/02/15.
    • If you use 3/2/15 in your list, the earlier date may incorrectly be sorted after the later date. This happens because the first digit in the March date (3) is larger than the first digit in the December date (1). Add a “0” to prevent this error.
  3. Image titled Write Dates Step 12

    3

    Use numerals when you see “MM,” “DD,” and “YY” or “YYYY” on a form. When you’re asked to provide a date on a form, you’ll often see something like MM/DD/YY or DD-MM-YYYY. These letters indicate how many numerals you should include and in what order. “MM” stands for a 2-digit month and “DD” suggests a 2-digit day. “YY” indicates you should include the last 2 digits of the year, while “YYYY” means you must include all 4 digits.[5]

    • Use a “0” before single-digit days and months as needed.
    • If you’re asked to provide the date as MM/DD/YY you could write 05/12/94.
    • If you’re asked for DD-MM-YYYY, this date would be 12-05-1994.
    • You may see these letters without any separation on some forms. For DDMMYY, simply enter 120594 unless otherwise noted.
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  • When writing the date, tailor your formatting to your audience. If you’re writing for an international audience, use a format that cannot be confused, such as the International Standard or one with the month spelled out.

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References

About This Article

Article SummaryX

To write dates informally, you can use numerals and dashes or backslashes between the day, month, and year to keep the dates short. For single digit days and months, you can choose to write the single digit or use a zero in front of the digit. Write out the month as a word instead of using the numeral in slightly more formal situations. In formal situations, like when you’re writing invitations or letters, you can use words instead of numerals for the entire date. For tips on using the correct sequence when writing dates, read on!

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There are multiple ways to write the date. How do you know which format to use in a particular situation?

In this blog post, we will teach you how to write dates correctly in both American English and British English. We will also discuss some of the most common date formats used around the world.

So whether you’re writing a letter, an email, or a formal document, make sure you follow this guide to ensure you use the correct date format!

How to Write Dates in Words

There are many ways to write dates in words. The most common way to write the date in American English is to write the month first, followed by the day (e.g., January 1, 2022). The most common format in British English is the day first, followed by the month (e.g., 1 January 2022).

American English

In American English, we format the date in the following order: month, day, year.

  • Jan 1
  • January 1
  • January 1, 2022

With day of the week:

  • Monday, January 1, 2022

Examples of sentences with dates:

  • The date today is January 21, 2020.
  • I was born on May 12, 1990.
  • The crash happened on Tuesday, July 10, 1973.
  • My birthday is on October 9.

Using ordinal numbers, such as 1st, 4th, 10th, etc. in American English is not common.

British English

In British English, we format the date in the following order: day, month, year.

  • 1 Jan
  • 1 January
  • 1 January 2022
  • 1st January 2022
  • the 1st of January, 2022
  • the 1st of January 2022

With day of the week:

  • Monday, 1st January 2022
  • Monday the 1st of January, 2022

Examples of sentences with dates:

  • The date today is the 21st of January, 2020.
  • I was born on 12 May 1990.
  • The crash happened on Tuesday, the 10th of July, 1973.
  • My birthday is on 9 October.

As you can see, the last two letters of the number word are sometimes added, i.e., 1st (first), 2nd (second), 3rd (third)… These are known as ordinal numbers.

We also optionally put a comma before the year although it is not necessary. This is most commonly done when the date occurs in a sentence.

How To Write the Dates in Numbers

American English and British English use different ways to write the date in figures. British people put the day first while American people put the month first.

American English

In American English, we typically write dates in the following order: month/day/year. The date can be written in one of the following ways:

  • MM/DD/YY
  • MM-DD-YY
  • MM.DD.YY

Examples of dates in numbers:

  • 01/21/20 (this means: January 21, 2020)
  • 05/12/90 (this means: May 12, 1990)

Or, like this:

  • 01-21-20
  • 05-12-90

Or this:

  • 01.21.20
  • 05.12.90

You can even lengthen the year to four digits if desired (and for clarity’s sake):

  • 01/21/2020
  • 05/12/1990

British English

In British English, we typically write dates in the following order: day/month/year. The date can be written in one of the following ways:

  • DD/MM/YY
  • DD-MM-YY
  • DD.MM.YY

Examples of dates in numbers:

  • 21/01/20 (this means: 21 January 2020)
  • 12/05/90 (this means: 12 May 1990)

Or, like this:

  • 21-01-20
  • 12-05-90

Or even this:

  • 21.01.20
  • 12.05.90

You can even lengthen the year to four digits if desired (and for clarity’s sake):

  • 21/01/2020
  • 12/05/1990

Abbreviating the Date

The date can also be abbreviated in American and British English. We can do this if the date is not part of the main text of the document and to save space. Abbreviating the date is not recommended in formal writing.

The most common way to abbreviate the date is to shorten the month as follows:

  • Jan.
  • Feb.
  • Mar.
  • Apr.
  • Aug.
  • Sep. / Sept.
  • Oct.
  • Nov.
  • Dec.

Examples of how to abbreviate dates:

  • Jan 21st, 2020 (this means: January 21, 2020)
  • 12 Sep 1990 (this means: 12 September 1990)

How to Write Dates Formally

When writing dates formally, we need to write the dates in full. There are many formats you can use.

American English (Formal)

January 1, 2022

With days:

Monday, January 1, 2022

British English (Formal)

  • the 1st of January, 2022
  • the 1st of January 2022

With days:

  • Monday, 1st January 2022
  • Monday the 1st of January, 2022

Make sure to keep the dates consistent throughout the document. Choose one format to use and stick to it.

How to Write Date Ranges Correctly

There are a few different ways we can write date ranges.

As a shortened form, we can use the en dash “–” like this:

  • Jan 21 – Feb 12, 2020 (this means: January 21 to February 12, 2020)
  • 1990 – 1995

Another way we can write date ranges is with the words “from” and “to” like this:

  • from Jan 21 to Feb 12, 2020
  • from 1990 to 1995

We can use “between” when talking about date ranges. This is another common way to mention date range:

  • Between Jan 21 and Feb 12, 2020
  • Between 1990 – 1995 (between 1990 and 1995)

How to Write the Date with the Day of the Week

As mentioned briefly already, here is how we can write the date with the day of the week included.

American English Examples:

  • Monday, January 21, 2020
  • Tuesday, July 10

British English Examples:

  • Wednesday, 31st July 2022
  • Monday the 4th of June, 1988

Examples of Sentences:

  • I was born on Friday, 4th October 1960.
  • The party is on Saturday the 13th of October.
  • They got married on Saturday, December 10, 1975.

International Date Formats Used Around the World

There are a few different ways that dates are formatted around the world. Here are some of the most common ones:

YYYY/MM/DD (2020/01/21) – This is the international standard date format* and is used in many countries, including China, Japan, and Korea.

DD/MM/YYYY (21/01/2020) – This is the most common date format used in European countries, such as Ireland, the U.K., France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. It is also used in Australia and South Africa.

MM/DD/YYYY (01/21/2020) – This is the most common date format used in the United States and Canada.

*The international standard (ISO 8601) is written as YYYY-MM-DD. This may be used to avoid any confusion when communicating abroad.

How To Write the Date for the IELTS Exam

You can use either British or American English for the IELTS exam. The IELTS examiners will not mark you down for using one format over the other.

However, it is important to be consistent throughout your essay or letter. Choose one format and stick to it.

You should also consider the tone of writing; in other words, is it formal or casual? Are you writing to a friend or an employer?

For the exam, we know that the letter is formal if we see “Dear Sir/Madam…” If you are writing to a friend, keep it informal.

Here are some tips to be mindful of when writing the date for the IELTS exam (formal):

  • Include the year
  • Write the date in full
  • Don’t use contractions in your writing
  • Capitalize the first letter of the month

Here are some tips to be mindful of when writing the date for the IELTS exam (informal):

  • It’s okay to write the date in numbers
  • Abbreviated months can be used to save space
  • Shortening the year to two digits is acceptable

Tips for writing dates in the IELTS Listening Exam:

  • You can write the dates as a number to avoid errors
  • You can write a shortened version of the date (for example, May 2, 2 May, 2nd May)

Tips for saying the dates in the IELTS Exam:

We ALWAYS use ordinal numbers when speaking, for example, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th…

Be careful with similar sounding numbers, such as twelve, twenty, fourteen, forty and so forth.

Example:

  • 7 November 1968 

American English: ‘November the seventh, nineteen sixty-eight’ or ‘November seventh, nineteen sixty-eight’ 

British English: ‘the seventh of November, nineteen sixty-eight’ 

  • 13 February 2022

American English: ‘February the thirteenth, two thousand and twenty-two’ or ‘February thirteenth, twenty twenty-two.’ 

British English: ‘the thirteenth of February, two thousand and twenty-two’ or ‘the thirteenth of February, twenty twenty-two.’

How Do You Say The Years in English?

We say the years in English by using a combination of numbers and words.

Here are some examples:

  • 2006 –‘two thousand (and) six’ or ‘twenty-oh-six’
  • 2007 — ‘two thousand (and) seven’ or ‘twenty-oh-seven’
  • 2008 — ‘two thousand (and) eight’ or ‘twenty-oh-eight’
  • 2009 — ‘two thousand (and) nine’ or ‘twenty-oh-nine’
  • 2010 — ‘two thousand (and) ten’ or ‘twenty-ten’
  • 2011 — ‘two thousand (and) eleven’ or ‘twenty-eleven’
  • 2012 — ‘two thousand (and) twelve’ or “twenty-twelve’
  • 2013 — ‘two thousand (and) thirteen’ or ‘twenty-thirteen’
  • 2014  — ‘two thousand (and) fourteen’ or ‘twenty-fourteen’
  • 2015  — ‘two thousand (and) fifteen’ or ‘twenty-fifteen’
  • 2016  — ‘two thousand (and) sixteen’ or ‘twenty-sixteen’
  • 2017 — ‘two thousand (and) seventeen’ or ‘twenty-seventeen’
  • 2018 — ‘two thousand (and) eighteen’ or ‘twenty-eighteen’
  • 2019 — ‘two thousand (and) nineteen’ or ‘twenty-nineteen’
  • 2020 — ‘two thousand (and) twenty’ or ‘twenty-twenty’
  • 2021 — ‘two thousand (and) twenty-one’ or ‘twenty twenty-one’
  • 2022  — ‘two thousand (and) twenty-two’ or ‘twenty twenty-two’

We can also say the years by using a combination of numbers and words. Using “and” in the sentence is optional. The second “or” option is more informal than the first.

Other years to practice saying:

  • 1800 — ‘(the year) eighteen hundred’
  • 1900 — ‘(the year) nineteen hundred’
  • 2000  — ‘(the year) two thousand’ or ‘twenty-oh’
  • 1776 — ‘seventeen hundred (and) seventy-six’‘ or ‘seventeen seventy-six’
  • 1812 — ‘eighteen hundred (and) twelve’ or ‘eighteen twelve’
  • 1945  — ‘nineteen hundred (and) forty-five’ or ‘nineteen forty-five’
  • 1509  — ‘fifteen hundred (and) nine’ or ‘fifteen-oh-nine’
  • 2003  — ‘two thousand (and) three’ or ‘twenty-oh-three’
  • 1945  — ‘nineteen hundred and forty-five’ or ‘nineteen forty-five’
  • 1822  — ‘eighteen hundred and twenty-two’ or ‘eighteen twenty-two’

How Do You Say The Decades in English?

Here are some examples:

  • the 1940s  — ‘nineteen forties’ 
  • the 1950s  — ‘nineteen fifties’
  • the 1960s  — ‘nineteen sixties’
  • the 1970s  — ‘nineteen seventies’
  • the 1980s  — ‘nineteen eighties’
  • the 1990s  — ‘nineteen nineties
  • the 2000s — ‘the noughties’ refers to the decade 2000 to 2009

We can also write them with a comma, depending on the style guide we are using.

For example,

  • the 1940’s
  • the 1950’s
  • the 1960’s

etc.

Using on and in with Dates

We use “on” when giving a date with the exact day. We use “in” when referring to a month or a year.

Examples:

  • I was born on the 12th of December.
  • The meeting is on July 15.
  • We’re going to Europe in May.
  • I’ll be back in a week.
  • What are you doing on New Year’s Eve?
  • Cleo’s birthday is in August.
  • I will be eating turkey on Christmas day.
  • My parents met in 1960.

To Ask About Dates

We often need to ask others about dates. Here are some examples of how to do this:

  • When is your birthday?
  • What day is it today?
  • What date is it?
  • What’s the date today?
  • What’s the date tomorrow?
  • What was the date yesterday?
  • Is today a holiday?
  • What month is it?
  • What date is the presentation? (or: when is the presentation?)

To Answer About Dates

To announce the date, use ‘it’s.’

For example:

  • It’s on the 15th of July.
  • Today is Wednesday.
  • Tomorrow is Thursday, the 10th of March.
  • Yesterday was the 12th.
  • It’s April 15th.

BC and AD

You may have seen other ways of writing dates, such as: Before Christ (BC) and Anno Domini (AD). Anno Domini” is Latin for “in the year of our Lord.

BC follows the date. AD can come before or after the date.

For example:

  • Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC.
  • The Battle of Hastings was fought in 1066 AD.

A more modern, alternative approach to writing these dates is to use the abbreviation “BCE,” which stands for Before Common Era. We can use the abbreviation “CE” to mean Common Era.

For example:

  • Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BCE.
  • The Battle of Hastings was fought in 1066 CE.

In Conclusion

We hope you found this guide helpful. Choose a date format and stick to it. Remember to practice writing and saying the dates in English often so that it becomes second nature to you.

If you have any questions, please leave us a comment below!

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The format of the date inserted depends on the language in the spellcheck. You can change this language in the Review tab->Language->Set Proofing Language. Here are a few examples of the output in different languages:

  • English (Unites States): 3/8/2017
  • Swedish: 2017-03-08
  • French: 08/03/2017

These formats are the ones that are commonly used in each language. So it seems that your spell checker in Word is in English and your system is in a language that formats dates in the same way as in Swedish. If you’re writing a document in English, it’s probably best to format dates like in English, and if you’re not, you should change the spellcheck language. However, if you really want to write in English and use the 2017-03-08 format, you can temporarily change the spell checker to a language that uses that format (for example Swedish) and then changing it back to English after having inserted the date won’t change the date format.

If you want to change the way the date is formatted in a certain language, you can go to the Insert tab->Date and time. Then a window will pop up with a list of ways to format dates and times in that language:

enter image description here

To set one as default, pick one and click on the Default button. When you’ve done that, that format will be used every time you insert a date using Shift+Alt+D. You can also insert a date or time in a specific format without using it as default by pressing OK. When you set the default for one language, it won’t change anything for the other languages.

You can also change the language in which it’s formatted by selecting another language in the Language list on the right. However this will also change the language of the spell checker, but as I said, changing the language back after inserting the date won’t change the date format.


To summarize, here is what you should do to solve your problem:

  1. Change the spellcheck language to Swedish or any other language that uses the 2017-03-08 format.
  2. Insert a date by pressing Shift+Alt+D.
  3. Change the spellcheck language back to English or whatever language you’re writing in.

This is the result:

enter image description here

Insert the Current Date in Word Documents Using Fields

Article by: Avantix Learning Team | Updated November 8, 2021

Applies to: Microsoft® Word® 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 or 365 (Windows)

You can insert today’s date into a Word document as a static date or as a dynamic date field that updates when a document is opened or printed. Word picks up the current date from the system date and the default formatting from your computer’s regional settings.

If you insert the Date field (or several other date fields), when you close, save and open the document, the date will be updated. If you want to manually update a date field, right-click it and choose Update Field from the drop-down menu.

Recommended article: How to Add or Remove Page Breaks in Microsoft Word

Inserting the current date using the Date & Time command

The most common way to insert the current date as a field in a Word document is to use the Date & Time command in the Ribbon. Date fields are entered in content controls in Word.

To insert the current date as a field using the Date & Time command:

  1. Click in the document where you want to insert the date:
  2. Click the Insert tab in the Ribbon.
  3. Select Date & Time in the Text group. The Date and Time dialog box appears.
  4. Click the date in the format that you want.
  5. Select the Update automatically check box to insert a dynamic date field.
  6. Click OK. Word will insert the Date field in a content control.

The Date and Time dialog box appears as follows:

Insert date field dialog box in MIcrosoft Word to insert today's date.

Inserting the current date using a keyboard shortcut

To insert the current date using a keyboard shorcut, press Alt + Shift + D to insert the Date field in a content control. This will insert the Date field which will update automatically. This is not a shortcut for the Date / Time dialog box and is not affected by settings in the dialog box.

Inserting other date fields

You can also insert the Date, CreateDate, PrintDate and SaveDate fields into Word documents. The PrintDate field will update when the document is printed.

To insert the PrintDate field or one of the other date fields:

  1. Position the cursor where you want to insert the date.
  2. Click the Insert tab in the Ribbon.
  3. In the Text group, click Quick Parts. A drop-down menu appears.
  4. Select Field. A dialog box appears.
  5. Select Date and Time from the Categories drop-down list. Select PrintDate or one of the other date fields in the Field Names list.
  6. Under Field Properties, choose a date format.
  7. Click OK. The date field will be entered in a content control.

The Insert Field dialog box appears as follows with Date and Time fields:

Insert field dialog box in Word with date fields.

If you want to update a date field (if it doesn’t appear to update), right-click the field and select Update Field from the drop-down menu.

Changing the formatting of a date field

If you have inserted date fields, you can also change the formatting of the field:

  1. Right-click the field. A drop-down menu appears.
  2. Select Edit Field. A dialog box appears.
  3. Under Field Properties, select a date format.
  4. Click OK.

Fields can be inserted in the main document or in headers and footers.

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