correct way to write date in an essay

How to Write Dates Correctly (With Examples)

Writing dates can seem straightforward at times and confounding at others. This complexity in writing dates arises due to the different formats used worldwide. Many authors also get confused about how to write them using commas. Understanding the established standards and then applying them consistently and clearly are the keys to conquering this difficulty with dates.

Continue reading to learn how to format dates in American English.

Different methods for writing dates

There are several methods for writing dates that are accepted internationally.

Follow dialectical standards

• When using American English, the month should precede the day. First, write the month, then the day, and then the year. Examples are:
• September 10
• When using American English, separate the day and the year using a comma . If you are including the weekday, place a comma after it as well. A comma is not required if you are using British English. Examples are:
• September 10, 2022
• September tenth, 2022
• Saturday , September 10, 2022
• When using British English, the day should precede the month. This system is followed in many nations, including the UK and Australia. First, write the day, then the month, and then the year. Examples are:
• 10th September
• 10 September 2022
• Saturday the 10th of September 2022.
• When using British English, use “of” and “the.” The “of” and “the” should precede the month and day, respectively. It is also crucial to use them both together. Examples are:
• The 10th of September
• Saturday the tenth of September
• When using British English, the day should be followed by ordinal indicators. Use one ordinal indicator like -st, -th, -nd, or -rd that matches the suffix . Though not commonly followed, this format is still accepted in American English. Examples are:
• The 21st of September
• The 14th of September
• The 2nd of September
• The 3rd of September
• When writing for an international audience, use the International Standard to prevent confusion. In this format, first write the year, then the month, and then the day. Commas are not used and all four digits of the year are written. Examples are:
• 2022 September 10

Use different degrees of scope and formality

• When writing extremely formal invitations, be sure to spell the year, month, and day. The day should be written first even when you are using American English. This format is used for official certificates like diplomas and documents with the highest formalities, including wedding invitations. It is used to show deference and courtesy to the occasion and the reader.
• We request the presence of you and your family on the tenth of September in the year three thousand and thirty.
• When communicating in a semi-formal or slightly formal setting, spell only the month out. It is appropriate to use digits for the year and the day. This format is prevalent in academic writing. There is also a slight variation in the writing style depending on whether you use American or British English.
• For American English: “Queen Elizabeth II ascended the English throne on June 2, 1953.” or “Queen Elizabeth II ascended the English throne in June 1953.”
• For British English: “Queen Elizabeth II ascended the English throne on 2 June 1953.” or “Queen Elizabeth II ascended the English throne on 2nd of June 1953.”
• Use numerals when writing dates on records and documents. This format is usually followed for memos, impersonal business records like invoices or a piece of communication, or even on lecture notes. This is done to show when the document was made or when it is due. Use all numerals when filling out forms and keeping records. Points to note in this format:
• When writing greeting cards, use the MM/DD/YY format and write the date at the top. This will help the receiver know when the card was written. Example: 09/10/22.
• The YYYY-MM-DD pattern is usually used in museum databases to indicate the date an artifact was obtained. Example: 2022-09-10.
• When filling out government forms, use the MM-DD-YYYY format. Example: 09-10-2022.

Format for numerical dates

• Separate the numerals indicating the day, month, and year using hyphens or slashes. For a more elegant look, bullets or periods can also be used. Underscores are also used in some cases. Always use hyphens when writing in an international format. When using American English, the date September 10, 1992, can be written as:
• In international standards, it is written as 1992-10-09
• A writer can optionally add “0” when the day or month is a single-digit number. Although it is frequently necessary on forms, many forgo it in daily informal settings. Using this format will ensure that the numerical dates all have equal lengths and can be accurately sorted. Example:
• June fourth, 2018 can be written as 06/04/18 or 6/4/18. This makes its length similar to that of 12/12/18.
• When a form shows “MM-DD-YYYY” or “MM-DD-YY” format, always use numerals. This will also show the order in which to write the date. The number of “M”, “D”, and “Y” indicates the number of digits to be filled in. Example:
• “MM-DD-YYYY” can be filled in as 09-10-1992 and “MM-DD-YY” as 09-10-92.

Writing centuries

Centuries are written as plurals and when written in words they are written with all lowercase letters. Do not use apostrophes when writing centuries. Examples are:

• Women wore tailored suit dresses in the early 1900s.
• Women wore tailored suit dresses in the nineteen hundreds.
• Women wore tailored suit dresses in the twentieth century.

Writing decades

Apostrophes should be used before and after two-digit numbers used to represent decades, such as the ’90s. You can either write it as the 1990s or simply the nineties. Examples are:

• In the 90s, rock music was very popular.
• In the nineties, rock music was very popular.

Should “in” or “on” be used when writing dates ?

When referring to an exact day, write the date using “on.” When referring to the year or the month, use “in.”

I am flying to New York on September 10, 2022.

The cafe will cease operations in September 2022.

How are dates written in technical or official documents?

When writing technical or official documents, always follow international standards rather than American or British English. This will make the document understandable to people belonging to different countries.

• Grammarly – How to Write Dates Correctly in English
• Cambridge dictionary – Dates
• The Editor’s Manual – Dates: How to Write Correctly
• LanguageTool – How to Write the Date

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Fact checked: Content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. Learn more.

About the author

Dalia Y.: Dalia is an English Major and linguistics expert with an additional degree in Psychology. Dalia has featured articles on Forbes, Inc, Fast Company, Grammarly, and many more. She covers English, ESL, and all things grammar on GrammarBrain.

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How to Write the Date in an Essay

• 3-minute read
• 4th February 2016

You probably see the date written down (or displayed on a screen) dozens of times every day. You might even have to write it out yourself if you’re booking an appointment or organising your schedule.

Despite this, most of us give very little thought to how we write the date. In academic writing and other formal contexts , however, it’s important to use a clear and consistent format.

Different Formats

The most important thing to remember when writing the date is that, in the UK and throughout most of the world, we favour a day-month-year format (otherwise known as the little-endian sequence ). This can be presented in numerous ways, including:

• Day + Month (e.g. 21 April)
• Day + Month + Year (e.g., 21 April 2016)
• Numbers Only (e.g. 21/04/2016)

There are also variations to how these can be presented, such as using an ordinal suffix after the day.  These are the letters we’d use if we were writing the number out in full and are often written with a superscript font:

We last spoke on the 21st of April.

The meetings will be held on the 2 nd of February and the 13 th June.

Sometimes, the month in the date can be shortened to save space:

14 January 2012 → 14 Jan. 2012

9 October → 9 Oct.

However, generally in formal writing it’s better to use the longer format for clarity. Likewise, when including a date in an essay you should usually write it out (e.g. 21 April 2016) rather than use the numbers-only style.

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Check Your Style Guide and Be Consistent

Since there are various ways of writing the date, you should always check your university’s style guide to see if a preferred format is specified. If it doesn’t offer any particular advice, simply pick a clear format that suits you and make sure to use it consistently for all dates in your essay.

UK vs. American Dates

The other thing to keep in mind when writing (and reading) dates is how the US date format differs from ours. In America, dates use a month-day-year format, which can lead to problems when they are written out in numbers only as days and months get confused.

The US date format also places a comma between the day and year when both are numbers, as well as omitting superscript letters. The only time you would use superscript letters after the day in the US date format is when writing it out in full as, e.g., the 10 th of September.

You can see a few examples of UK and US dates below:

As you can see, the date ‘07/04/2016’ represents the 7th of April 2016 in the UK, but the same numbers indicate the 4th of July in America! Take care about which format you use when writing for international audiences.

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 the 10th of July 2020.

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How to Write Dates Correctly

• 3-minute read
• 23rd October 2014

There are many different ways to write dates, so knowing which one to use in your work can be difficult. At a basic level, you need to get the format and information correct. But you also need to consider whether the style in which you’ve written the date is appropriate for your document.

Read on, then, for our guide on how to write dates correctly.

Writing Out the Date

In very formal writing, it’s often best to write out the date in full. The most formal version of this may include using an ordinal signifier (‘th’, ‘rd’ or ‘st’) after the date, like this:

The meeting is on the 23 rd of October 2016.

However, in most cases, you can just give a date, month and year:

The meeting is on 23 October 2016.

You would still pronounce this as ‘the 23 rd of October’ in speech, but in writing you can simplify this to make it easier to read.

Moreover, in some situations, you may want to include the day of the week in the date, especially if it has specific connotations (e.g. Friday the 13 th ).

Shorter Form Dates

In less formal writing, a shorter date format can be used. This typically uses only numbers separated by full stops or slashes, with no need to write out the name of the month. Shortening the year is also acceptable as long as it will be clear which year you mean, such as in the following:

You can also write out the date but shorten the month to save space:

• 14 January 2016 → 14 Jan 2016
• 9 October → 9 Oct

Although these options are easy to understand and perfectly acceptable in most writing, they are not typically correct in an academic context.

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Australian vs. American Dates

Another thing to keep in mind is that the date format is different in different places. In Australia , we use a day, month, year format, as shown above.

In America, the month comes first. As such, we can reformat some of the examples above to compare how they’d appear in Australia and America:

As you can see above, we’ve used a comma in the US dates to separate the day and the year, both of which are numbers.

The fact that the day and month are swapped around can lead to confusion, especially if written in number form, so do be aware of this!

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 standardised 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 the 10th of July 2020.

How to Write the Date in Academic Writing

There is no single ‘correct’ way to write the date in an essay, but it’s usually better to use a formal approach. Check your university style guide and see what it recommends. If it doesn’t specify a format, pick one you feel is appropriate and use it consistently throughout your document.

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How to Write the Date Correctly

By Krystal N. Craiker

Writing dates can be confusing. Where do the commas go? What if you need to include the day of the week?

Today, we’re teaching you how to write the date correctly every time.

Most of this article will focus on the American date format, but we will cover the differences between British and American English date formats, too.

How to Write Dates

Correct date format in british english, how to write the date and time in a sentence, write dates consistently.

One reason writing dates is so confusing is that there are so many options.

How to write the date varies based on geography, the circumstance, such as how formal you need to be, whether you need the year, and whether you’re using purely numerical forms.

We’ve broken down the different date formats, so you know how to write the date in every situation.

Month-Day-Year

The month-day-year date is the most common format used in America.

When you need to write the entire date, place a comma after the day. Here’s what it looks like:

• July 4, 1776

When we see the date, we read the day in our heads, or out loud, as ordinal numbers. However, it’s not necessary to actually use ordinal numbers (e.g. 4th) when you write the day.

When you write the month-day-year format in the middle of a sentence, place another comma after the year.

• America was founded on July 4, 1776, when the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence.

Writing just the month and day is simple. Just leave off the comma and the year.

When you write the month-day format in the middle of a sentence, only place a comma after the day if the date ends a dependent clause or introductory phrase. Never place a comma after the month.

• We go every July 4 to see fireworks.
• Because it’s July 4, we are going to see fireworks.

Just like when you include the year, there’s no need to write the ordinal number form of the day.

The only time the date should include an ordinal number is when the format is inverted and the word “of” is included. Here’s an example from a famous folk song:

• I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy! Yankee Doodle do-or-die. A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam, born on the 4th of July.

In this form, you can use numeric or word formats for the ordinal numbers: 4th or fourth.

Sometimes, we only need to write dates with the month and year. We might refer to a general time frame, or we may not know the exact date of something.

As with other date formats, don’t include a comma between the month and year. Only place a comma after the year if the date ends a dependent clause or introductory phrase.

Let’s look at a few examples of how to write the month and year.

• Her baby is due in June 2022.
• In June 2022, she will have her baby.

With the Day of the Week

When writing dates with the day of the week, always place a comma between the day of the week and the rest of the date. Then, follow the above rules for the rest of the date.

This is one type of date format where the comma rule is the same for British English: you always put a comma after the day of the week.

Here are some examples of how to write the date with the day of the week. Please note these examples are using the American date format.

• Saturday, April 2, 2022
• The wedding is Saturday, April 2, 2022.
• The wedding takes place Saturday, April 2, 2022, at the Bellagio Chapel in Vegas.

Numerical Forms

We don’t always write dates by spelling out the month. Often, we use an all-numeric date format, such as when we sign a form, take notes, or write in a diary.

Typically, we don’t use the purely numerical form when writing the date in a sentence. In those situations, use the rules above and spell out the month.

When you do write the date with just numbers, there are a few ways you can format it. However, you should always use the month-day-year format for American English.

There are a few accepted punctuation marks for numeric dates: hyphens , slashes , and periods . In American dates, hyphens and slashes are the most common.

It’s also acceptable to omit the zero in the month or day, if the number is less than 10. However, some online forms will require you to use a zero.

You can use either four digits or two digits for the year. Only use two-digit numbers if it’s clear which century you’re talking about.

If it’s a birthdate of a living person, we can deduce whether the year occurred in the 1900s or 2000s.

Now, let’s take a look at several ways we might write the same date in the numerical format.

Selecting one of these date formats is usually a matter of personal preference, although if you have a style guide for your writing, defer to its formatting.

The important thing is to be consistent with whichever format you choose.

Years, Decades, and Centuries

Years, decades, and centuries can be confusing to write. Let’s look at each type in more detail.

When we write the year, we typically use a four-digit format.

We saw in the previous section that we can use a two-digit year in the numeric form. Both four digits and two digits are correct and are a matter of personal preference.

But sometimes we reference a year in a sentence and only use two-digits. In this case, we place an apostrophe before the digits. The apostrophe replaces the century of a four-digit year.

• I bought a ’69 Camaro.

We don’t always use a two-digit format in a sentence. You could say, “I bought a 1969 Camaro.” But when you choose to use only two-digits in a sentence, the apostrophe is required.

Remember, the apostrophe is not required when you write an entire, exact date in numerical form.

When we write years out in long form, you can include “and” after “thousand,” or you can omit it. American English tends to omit the “and,” but it's correct either way.

• Correct: Two thousand eight was when I graduated high school.
• Correct: Two thousand and eight was when I graduated high school.

Apostrophe rules get tricky when we write decades. When we reference a decade, the rules for writing plurals apply: never use apostrophes for plural words. For decades, never put an apostrophe between the decade and the /s/.

• Incorrect: I love listening to the hair bands of the 1980’s.
• Correct: I love listening to the hair bands of the 1980s.

If you omit the first two digits, place an apostrophe before the decade number. You still shouldn’t put an apostrophe before the /s/.

• Incorrect: I love listening to the hair bands of the 80’s.
• Incorrect: I love listening to the hair bands of the ’80’s.
• Correct: I love listening to the hair bands of the ’80s.

You can also write the decade in word form, e.g. “eighties.”

Similarly to decades, if you reference a century in a four-digit format, do not place an apostrophe before the /s/.

• Incorrect: I love the fashion of 1700’s.
• Correct: I love the fashion of the 1700s.

Adding an apostrophe to plurals is a common writing error. ProWritingAid will point out unnecessary apostrophes in your plural numbers.

When you write centuries in the ordinal form, add the correct suffix after the number or use the word format. There’s no need to capitalize the word form.

• Correct: I love 18th-century fashion.
• Correct: I love eighteenth-century fashion.

British English uses a different date format in which the month and day are inverted (day-month-year). In British English, dates do not need commas before or after the year, even in a sentence.

• 11 November 1918
• Armistice Day on 11 November 1918 marked the end of World War I.

The inverted format also applies to numeric dates, e.g. 14/2/2017.

We’ve seen several examples of how to write the date in a sentence. Writing the time in a sentence is simple.

You can write the time in a sentence as hour:minute plus a.m. or p.m. If you’re using a 24-hour time format, the a.m. or p.m. is not required.

You can also leave it off if it’s clear what time of day something occurs. Here’s what this looks like:

• I get out of school at 3:45 p.m.
• I get out of school at 3:45. (The p.m. is not necessary because we can assume you don’t get out of school at 3:45 a.m.)
• I get out of school at 15:45.

If the time that you’re writing occurs on the hour, you can also write “o’clock.” Instead of a.m. or p.m., describe the time of day if necessary.

• He will be there at four o’clock.
• He will be there at four o’clock in the afternoon.

If you need to write both the time and date, just combine the rules. Here are two examples:

• My flight arrives on December 13 at 10:40 a.m.
• Your appointment is at 2 o’clock on February 27, 2022.

There are many ways to write a date, but it’s important to use the same format consistently throughout your writing.

ProWritingAid’s Consistency Report can check for consistent mechanics, like dates, punctuation, spelling variations, and more.

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Krystal N. Craiker

Krystal N. Craiker is the Writing Pirate, an indie romance author and blog manager at ProWritingAid. She sails the seven internet seas, breaking tropes and bending genres. She has a background in anthropology and education, which brings fresh perspectives to her romance novels. When she’s not daydreaming about her next book or article, you can find her cooking gourmet gluten-free cuisine, laughing at memes, and playing board games. Krystal lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband, child, and basset hound.

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How to write dates perfectly

Jessica Malnik

Writing dates can feel stressful because the rules and guidelines vary not just between US English or British English, but also depending on your preferred style guide .

In this post, we share general guidelines to help you write dates perfectly every time. 

Note: Before we dive in, we’ll focus on how to write dates in US English. 

How to write dates in US English correctly

As a general guide, dates are typically written in the order of month – day – year in US English. Here are the general rules and examples when using dates in your writing.

How to write the year

The year is typically written as numerals in US English. An exception is if you start your sentence with the year. In that situation, you should write out the year in words. 

Note: When writing the year in words, you generally don’t write and after thousand when discussing a year after 2000 in US English. 

How to write months and days

There are different formats you can select when writing the months and days, depending on your needs. When writing the month and day, you put the month before the date and use cardinal numbers (1, 2, 3, 4…) instead of ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th…).  

If you want to write the date using the month, day, and year, you’ll use cardinal numbers for the day. You’ll also need a comma between the day and year. In US English, the month comes before the day, and the year comes after the day.

You can use ordinal numbers if you’re writing the date using of or writing the day without including the month.

How to write dates with days of the week

You’ll write the day of the week before the rest of the date when you want to include the day of the week. You’ll need to place a comma after the day of the week to separate it from the rest of the date.

How to write dates as decades and centuries

When writing the date as a decade or century, you can write it numerically or in words. 

When writing decades numerically, you can write them as two-digit numbers with an apostrophe before the numbers and an “-s” after the numbers. You do this because when the decade is in a two-digit form, it’s both an abbreviation and plural. 

The decade can also be written as four-digit numbers with an “-s” after the numbers, like this: 1990s. However, if you don’t include the “-s,” the reader may think you’re referring to that year instead of the whole decade.

When writing centuries numerically, you don’t use an apostrophe before the “-s” since centuries are plural and not possessive.

As with decades, you can also write out the century in words, such as the nineteenth century .  Centuries are typically lowercase, unless it starts the sentence or is used in a title.

How to write dates in essays and papers

When writing dates in essays and papers, you want to follow the rules indicated by the style guide you’re asked to follow, such as AP Stylebook , Chicago Manual of Style, The Cambridge Guide to English Usage, etc. 

If you’re writing a formal paper, you’ll typically want to avoid abbreviations. If you choose to abbreviate part of the date, make sure the reader can understand the date based on the context clues. For instance, if you abbreviate the decade as the ’40s, it should be clear whether you mean the 1940s, the 1840s, and so on.

How to write dates in British English 

When writing dates in British English, a lot of the rules are the same. However, there are a few key differences, including: 

• Dates are typically written in the order of day – month – year in British English. 
• When you’re writing the year in words, in British English, you write and after thousand when discussing a year after 2000. 
• If you’re adding the day of the week to the date, it comes before the date. You should separate the name of the day from the date by using a comma or by using the and of .

While there are different rules and styles to writing dates, the process doesn’t have to be difficult. To help guide you, determine your primary audience, whether you need to follow a particular style guide, and write the dates consistently throughout. When writing, you’ll also want to make sure that any abbreviations make sense within the context of your paper. If there could be any confusion, you’ll want to avoid using abbreviations.

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How to Write the Date (21 Examples + Detailed Guide)

Writing the date might seem straightforward, but different situations require different formats. Whether you’re writing a formal letter, filling out a check, or citing a source in MLA format, knowing how to properly write the date is essential.

This guide will provide detailed explanations and examples for 21 different scenarios, ensuring you have the most comprehensive resource available.

21 Ways to Write the Date (Fully Explained)

Writing the date correctly can depend on the context, culture, and purpose.

Different scenarios require different formats to ensure clarity and avoid confusion. Here are 21 ways to write the date, explained in detail with examples.

1. Formal English

In formal English, especially in business or academic writing, the date is typically written in full to avoid ambiguity.

This format includes the day of the month, the month spelled out in full, and the year.

Using ordinal numbers (e.g., 1st, 2nd, 3rd) is optional but common in formal contexts.

This method ensures that the date is clear and easily understood by readers, regardless of their regional date format preferences.

• Correct : 15th July 2023
• Correct : July 15, 2023
• Incorrect : 07/15/23

2. With Words

Writing the date entirely in words adds a formal touch to invitations, letters, or legal documents.

This format spells out both the day and the year in full, making the date clear and unambiguous. It’s commonly used in formal invitations, contracts, and other legal documents where precision is crucial.

• Fifteenth of July, Two Thousand Twenty-Three
• Twenty-Fourth of December, Two Thousand Nineteen
• First of January, Two Thousand Twenty-One

3. On a Check

Writing the date on a check requires a specific format to ensure clarity and legality.

This typically involves writing out the month in full, followed by the day and the complete year. This prevents any confusion that might arise from regional differences in date formatting.

• July 15, 2023
• December 1, 2023
• February 28, 2023

4. In MLA Format

When writing a paper in MLA format, the date is typically written in the day-month-year format without commas.

This format is used to maintain consistency and clarity throughout academic papers.

It ensures that the date is easily readable and follows the standard guidelines set by the Modern Language Association.

• 15 July 2023
• 24 December 2019
• 1 January 2021

5. In French

Writing the date in French follows a different order than in English, with the day preceding the month and the month not capitalized.

This format is standard in French-speaking countries and is essential for maintaining cultural and linguistic accuracy in documents, letters, and other communications.

• 15 juillet 2023
• 24 décembre 2019
• 1 janvier 2021

6. In British English

British English typically follows the day-month-year format, similar to formal English.

This format helps avoid the confusion that can arise from the month-day-year format used in American English.

It’s widely used in the UK for everything from letters and emails to official documents.

7. In American English

American English often uses the month-day-year format, which is standard in the United States.

This format can sometimes cause confusion internationally, so it’s important to specify the context if your document will be read by a global audience.

• December 24, 2019
• January 1, 2021

Check out this video about how to write the date in American English:

8. In ISO Format

The ISO 8601 format is an international standard for date and time representations, ensuring clarity and avoiding confusion across different regions. It’s commonly used in technical fields, databases, and software development.

9. In a Resume

Writing the date on a resume should be clear and concise, often following a month-year format. This format keeps the resume clean and focuses on the timeline of your employment or education history without unnecessary clutter.

• December 2019
• January 2021

10. In Legal Documents

Legal documents require precise date formats to avoid any ambiguity.

Dates are often spelled out in full to ensure there is no confusion or misinterpretation. This method is used to maintain the legal integrity and clarity of the document.

• Fifteenth day of July, Two Thousand Twenty-Three
• Twenty-Fourth day of December, Two Thousand Nineteen
• First day of January, Two Thousand Twenty-One

11. In an Invitation

Invitations often use a more formal date format to match the tone of the event. This can include spelling out the day of the week and the date in full, adding a touch of elegance and formality to the invitation.

• Saturday, the Fifteenth of July, Two Thousand Twenty-Three
• Tuesday, the Twenty-Fourth of December, Two Thousand Nineteen
• Friday, the First of January, Two Thousand Twenty-One

12. In a Report

Writing the date in a report should be clear and precise, often following the day-month-year format.

This format is straightforward and avoids any potential confusion, making the date easily understandable.

13. In a Diary or Journal

Personal diaries or journals can use any format, but consistency is key.

Choose a format that you prefer and stick with it throughout your entries to maintain a coherent record of your thoughts and activities.

• 15th July 2023

14. In Academic Writing

Academic writing often follows specific style guides, such as APA or Chicago, each with its own date format.

Following the required style guide ensures your work adheres to academic standards.

Examples (APA):

Examples (Chicago):

15. In an Email

Writing the date in an email can be more flexible but should still be clear to avoid any potential misunderstandings.

The month-day-year format is common in many regions and easily understood in most contexts, making it a good choice for emails.

Whether you’re sending a professional email or a casual message, clarity is key.

The format you choose can depend on your audience; for international recipients, you might want to use a more universally recognized format to ensure comprehension.

Additionally, placing the date at the beginning of your email or in the subject line can help provide context for your message.

16. In a Blog Post

Blog posts should use a clear date format to ensure readers can easily understand the timeline.

The month-day-year format is straightforward and familiar to most readers, making it a good choice for blog posts.

This format helps to avoid confusion and provides a consistent look throughout your content.

Dates in blog posts can indicate when the post was published or last updated, which can be crucial for readers looking for the most current information. A prominently displayed date can also enhance the credibility of your content.

17. In a Business Letter

Business letters often use a formal date format at the top of the letter.

The day-month-year format is formal and avoids any ambiguity, making it suitable for business correspondence.

This format aligns with international standards and is less likely to cause confusion.

Including the date at the beginning of a business letter is essential for record-keeping and for providing a timeline of correspondence.

It also sets a professional tone, ensuring that the letter is taken seriously by its recipients.

18. In a Personal Letter

Personal letters can use a more casual date format, depending on the preference of the writer.

Whether you choose the day-month-year format or the month-day-year format, consistency is key.

Personal letters are more flexible, and the date format can reflect the informality or formality of the relationship.

Using a familiar format can make the letter feel more personalized and relatable.

The date in a personal letter helps the recipient place the letter in a specific time context, which can be especially meaningful in ongoing correspondence.

19. On a Form

Forms often require specific date formats to ensure consistency and clarity.

Following the format specified on the form is crucial to ensure your date is recorded correctly.

This is especially important for legal documents, medical records, or any official paperwork where accuracy is paramount.

Forms may require different formats, such as MM/DD/YYYY or DD/MM/YYYY, and adhering to these requirements can prevent errors and processing delays. Ensuring the correct format helps maintain the integrity of the data and facilitates efficient handling of the form.

• 07/15/2023 (MM/DD/YYYY)
• 15/07/2023 (DD/MM/YYYY)
• 2023-07-15 (YYYY-MM-DD)

20. In Technical Writing

Technical writing often follows the ISO 8601 format for clarity and consistency.

The ISO format, YYYY-MM-DD, is precise and avoids any regional variations, making it ideal for technical documents.

This format is used in documentation, software development, and scientific research to ensure dates are interpreted correctly regardless of the reader’s locale.

Using the ISO format helps maintain a high standard of clarity and avoids potential misinterpretations.

21. In a Greeting Card

Greeting cards can use a more decorative and personalized date format.

Adding a touch of personalization to the date format can make the card feel more special and thoughtful.

Using formats that include the day of the week or fully spelled-out dates can enhance the card’s sentimental value. This can be particularly effective for special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, or holidays, where the date is part of the celebration.

• July 15th, 2023
• Saturday, the Fifteenth of July, 2023

Final Thoughts: How to Write a Date

Simple questions and complete answers is what this website is all about.

I hope this guide answers all the questions you may have now or in the future about how to write a date.

For even more guides, check out some of the topics below and don’t forget to subscribe to my email newsletter so that you don’t miss any new articles in the future.

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• Formatting dates in MLA style

MLA Date Format | Dates in the Works Cited & Main Text

Published on July 7, 2021 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on March 5, 2024.

In MLA Works Cited entries, publication dates are presented in day-month-year order. If the name of the month has five or more letters, abbreviate it to the first three.

Sometimes you just list the year (e.g. when citing a book ), but if the source provides a more specific publication date, you should usually include it (e.g. when citing a journal article or web page ). Occasionally you might even list the time of publication in addition to the date (e.g. when citing a timestamped online comment).

• spring 2017
• 5 Mar. 2017
• 5 Mar. 2017, 1:15 p.m.

Don’t use ordinal numbers (e.g. “5th”) or commas within a date in the Works Cited list. Don’t include a 0 before a single-digit date (e.g. “05”), even if your source does.

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Table of contents

Abbreviating months, levels of detail in mla dates, when to include an access date, date ranges, approximate or uncertain dates, adding the original publication date, formatting dates in the main text, frequently asked questions about mla citations.

All months with names five or more letters long are abbreviated in Works Cited entries. Abbreviate to the first three letters, followed by a period.

Bear in mind that months are not abbreviated in the main text or the header , though—only in the Works Cited list.

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An MLA Works Cited entry always contains the year of publication, but some source types specify more precise publication dates. For example, journals generally provide a month or season of publication, while newspapers and online articles usually have a specific date. As a general guideline, include the level of detail your source gives.

The level of detail can sometimes vary based on your reasons for citing the source. For example, for an episode of a TV series you’d usually just give the year, but you might give the day and month too if you’re discussing the context in which the episode aired.

The table below indicates the level of detail usually given for each source type. If less detail is available for your source than shown here, just include as much detail as you do have (e.g. just the year for a web page that only lists the year).

For online sources, MLA advises including an access date for

• A source with no publication date listed
• A source that’s continually updated
• A source that may have been deleted since you used it

At the end of the Works Cited entry, write “Accessed” followed by the day, month, and year on which you accessed the source:

But only use access dates with online sources . No access date should be added for, e.g., a printed book without a publication date.

When citing the entirety of a source published over a longer period of time (e.g. a TV series , a book published in several volumes , an event that took place over several days), you’ll have to cite a range of dates rather than just a single date.

Use an en dash (–) with no spaces to specify a range of dates.

Don’t repeat elements that are the same in both dates. For example, if citing a range of dates within one month, don’t repeat the month. In a range consisting only of years, you can omit the first two numbers from the second year if they’re the same as those of the first year.

• 15 Dec. 2019–22 Jan. 2020.
• 19–21 Mar. 2021.
• 27 Apr.–4 May 2018.

If citing a publication that is still ongoing, leave a space after the en dash to indicate this.

Note that date ranges are not needed to cite a single episode in a series, a single volume of a book, or a single issue or article within a journal. They’re only needed when you’re citing the whole longer publication.

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Occasionally, you might only have an approximate or uncertain date for a source. This is sometimes the case with older works, and artworks contained in museums , where the exact year of composition is unknown.

Approximate dates

The term “circa” (Latin for “around”) is used for approximate dates, sometimes abbreviated to “c.” Use it in your Works Cited entry when applicable—spelled out, not abbreviated. It may appear with a single year or a range.

Alternatively, a general period such as “late thirteenth century” may be given. Spell out the ordinal number in this case (i.e. “thirteenth,” not “13th”), even if your source doesn’t.

Uncertain dates

Your source may indicate that the date given is uncertain with a question mark or with qualifiers like “possibly 1819” or “probably 1745.”

In these cases, include a question mark after the year in your Works Cited entry. If a period would usually follow the date, omit it, but retain a comma in addition to the question mark if one would usually appear there.

Classic works are often republished in thousands of different editions . The most important publication date to give is that of the edition you used.

But you might decide in some cases that it’s also useful to give the original publication date. For example, if you’re discussing how a particular writer’s work developed over time, it might be useful to give the original publication date for each text in your Works Cited list.

The original publication date should be added directly after the title of the source it refers to, while the publication date of the edition you used appears later in the usual position of the date element.

In the main text, dates are presented differently. The main difference is that you shouldn’t abbreviate the names of months in the main text. This is done in the Works Cited list to save space, but it’s not appropriate elsewhere.

Additionally, dates don’t have to be presented in day-month-year order in the main text. You can use one of two formats: Month Day, Year, or Day Month Year . Choose one or the other and use it consistently.

• Mary Shelley was born on August 30, 1797, and died on February 1, 1851 .
• Mary Shelley was born on 30 August 1797 and died on 1 February 1851 .

Days and years should always be written as numerals . You can refer to decades either with numerals or spelled out . Use one style or the other consistently.

• Blade Runner is one of the most influential films of the 1980s .
• Blade Runner is one of the most influential films of the eighties .

In your MLA Works Cited list , dates are always written in day-month-year order, with the month abbreviated if it’s five or more letters long, e.g. 5 Mar. 2018.

In the main text, you’re free to use either day-month-year or month-day-year order, as long as you use one or the other consistently. Don’t abbreviate months in the main text, and use numerals for dates, e.g. 5 March 2018 or March 5, 2018.

In an MLA Works Cited list , the names of months with five or more letters are abbreviated to the first three letters, followed by a period. For example, abbreviate Feb., Mar., Apr., but not June, July.

In the main text, month names should never be abbreviated.

The level of detail you provide in a publication date in your Works Cited list depends on the type of source and the information available. Generally, follow the lead of the source—if it gives the full date, give the full date; if it gives just the year, so should you.

Books usually list the year, whereas web pages tend to give a full date. For journal articles , give the year, month and year, or season and year, depending on what information is available. Check our citation examples if you’re unsure about a particular source type.

When an online source (e.g. web page , blog post) doesn’t list a publication date , you should instead list an access date .

Unlike a publication date, this appears at the end of your MLA Works Cited entry, after the URL, e.g. “A Complete Guide to MLA Style.” Scribbr , www.scribbr.com/category/mla/. Accessed 28 Mar. 2021 .

For offline sources with no publication date shown, don’t use an access date—just leave out the date.

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If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2024, March 05). MLA Date Format | Dates in the Works Cited & Main Text. Scribbr. Retrieved August 26, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/mla/dates/

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How to Write Dates Correctly: The Ultimate Guide

By Caitriona Maria

August 3, 2022

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.

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

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:

Examples of dates in numbers:

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

Or, like this:

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

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:

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

Or even this:

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:

• Sep. / Sept.

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)

British english (formal).

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.

• 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?

• 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

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.

• 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.

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.

• 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.

• 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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Dates: American vs. British

The U.S. date format is month-day-year: the month appears before the day (May 12, 2022), while UK style is day-month-year: the day appears before the month (12 May 2022). A comma separates day and year in American English; no comma is necessary in a date in British English. Be careful with all-numeric dates: 12/5 is December 5 in American usage (month-day) but 12 May in British (day-month). The ISO date format, YYYY-MM-DD, helps eliminate ambiguity and avoid confusion in international settings.

In both styles, American and British, the day and the year are written in numerals, while the month is spelled out.

• American: The world did not end on October 21, 2011 . British: The world did not end on 21 October 2011 .
• American: It did not end on December 21, 2012, either. British: It did not end on 21 December 2012 either.
• American: On July 1, 1869 , three British colonies merged to form the self-governing entity of Canada. British: On 1 July 1869 , three British colonies merged to form the self-governing entity of Canada.

Much of the world uses the British date format of day-month-year, although some countries follow ISO format (numeric YYYY-MM-DD) in official communication. Others, like Canada, use both U.S. and British formats, but follow British or ISO in government documents.

Use of ordinals

Although ordinals are used in speech (October twenty-first ), they are considered unnecessary and therefore omitted in formal American writing. In general, avoid using ordinals ( st , nd , rd , th ) in dates.

• Poor: Humans first stood on Everest’s summit on May 29th , 1953. Better: Humans first stood on Everest’s summit on May 29 , 1953.

In British English, ordinals are sometimes used in dates, although cardinal numbers are preferred in formal writing.

• Informal: On 1st April 1957, the BBC broadcast pictures of a spaghetti harvest in Italy. Formal: On 1 April 1957, the BBC broadcast pictures of a spaghetti harvest in Italy.

Use of commas

In American English, commas are used in dates to typographically separate the day from the year.

• Correct: On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon.
• Correct: First contact was on October 31, 2021 .

In the British date format, commas may or may not be used. In formal writing, they are considered unnecessary and generally omitted.

When writing the date in American English, remember to use commas in pairs: a comma should appear both before and after the year in formal writing.

• Poor: An innocent radio broadcast on October 30, 1938 about a fictional alien invasion caused mass panic among listeners. Better: An innocent radio broadcast on October 30, 1938, about a fictional alien invasion caused mass panic among listeners.

In news copy, the closing comma after the year is often omitted.

When only the month and year are indicated, commas are omitted in both British and American usage.

• Correct: It was in March 2020 that WHO declared the outbreak a pandemic.

The month abbreviated

The month may be abbreviated in both British and American usage when it is part of a specific date. The same rules apply: use the month-day-year format in American writing; day-month-year in British. A comma separates day and year in American English; no comma is needed in British style. To abbreviate the month, write its first three letters, followed by a period.

• American: Jan. 9, 1997 British: 9 Jan. 1997
• American: Dec. 31, 2021 British: 31 Dec. 2021

The names of the months May , June , and July are not abbreviated.

Numeric dates

All-numeric dates are used informally or when there are space constraints. Dates are written as usual: month-day-year format in American usage and day-month-year in British. Hyphens or slashes are used to separate the parts of a date. The first two digits of the year may be omitted.

• American: 1-9-97 (January 9, 1997) British: 9-1-97 (9 January 1997)
• American: 5/11/09 (May 11, 2009) British: 11/5/09 (11 May 2009)

All-numeric dates can be particularly confusing to an international audience: 2/1 is February 1 in American usage but 2 January in British. When numeric formats are required in formal texts, such as in a table or a chart, use ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD): 2021-02-01 for February 1, 2021.

With all-numeric dates, prefer to use the ISO standard format : year-month-day, written as YYYY-MM-DD. This internationally agreed-on style is useful with a global audience or where confusion between British and American English could result in expensive mistakes—for example, in flight schedules at airports. Apart from removing ambiguity, this system makes it easier to sort and store computer files.

• Departure: 2022-02-01 for February 1, 2022
• CaptainsLog_ 20220201 date in a file name

Examples from published content

Here are some more examples of how dates are written in American and British English.

• American: On June 19, 1865 , enslaved African-Americans in Galveston, Texas, were told they were free. — New York Times (June 14, 2020)
• American: Scores of locations in the East had their coldest May 29 on record on Saturday. — Washington Post (May 30, 2021)
• American: Who really declared independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776 ? — Atlantic (July 4, 2019)
• British: On 11 March 2011 , Japan was struck by one of the most powerful earthquakes on record. — BBC (February 2, 2016)
• British: The science of X-ray astronomy was born on 18 June 1962 . — Guardian (November 18, 1999)
• British: The family exchange their presents in the afternoon on 24 December , as outlined on the official royal website. — Independent (December 24, 2018)

Share this article

Day follows month in a date in American English.

Month follows day in the British style of writing dates.

Separate day and year with a comma in a date.

A comma between month and year is unnecessary in the British style of writing dates.

Ordinals are unnecessary and therefore omitted in formal writing.

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How to Write Dates

Last Updated: March 29, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was reviewed by Tami Claytor . Tami Claytor is an Etiquette Coach, Image Consultant, and the Owner of Always Appropriate Image and Etiquette Consulting in New York, New York. With over 20 years of experience, Tami specializes in teaching etiquette classes to individuals, students, companies, and community organizations. Tami has spent decades studying cultures through her extensive travels across five continents and has created cultural diversity workshops to promote social justice and cross-cultural awareness. She holds a BA in Economics with a concentration in International Relations from Clark University. Tami studied at the Ophelia DeVore School of Charm and the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she earned her Image Consultant Certification. There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 642,199 times.

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.

Following Dialectical Standards

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

• 9th October
• 9 October 2022
• Sunday the 9th of October 2022

• The 9th of October
• Sunday the ninth of October

• 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.

• 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.

Using Different Levels of Formality and Scope

• 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.

• 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.”

• 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.

Formatting Numerical Dates

• Stick with hyphens for the International Standard. The same date would be written as 2003-23-11 in this format. [11] X Research source

• 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.

• 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.

Expert Q&A

• 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. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 1

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://iso.mit.edu/americanisms/date-format-in-the-united-states/
• ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-write-dates/
• ↑ https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/grammar/british-grammar/dates
• ↑ https://www.w3.org/QA/Tips/iso-date
• ↑ https://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/formal-date-writing
• ↑ https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/grammar/british-grammar/writing/dates
• ↑ https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-and-usage/how-to-formally-write-the-date.html
• ↑ https://langster.org/en/blog/how-to-write-dates-in-english

About This Article

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! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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9 Best Ways to Write a Date and Time Range in a Sentence

Writing date and time ranges don’t have to be challenging in your writing. Some people are worried about them because they often include numbers (i.e. “June 13th”), but you don’t have to be alarmed. This article will demonstrate the best ways to write date and time ranges.

The preferred ways to write it include “January 3-7 (Monday-Friday), 2022, at 09:00 a.m. – 05:00 p.m.,” “Monday-Friday, January 3-7, 2022, 09:00 a.m. – 05:00 p.m. daily,” and “M-F, 09:00-17:00, 3-7 Jan, 2022.” All of these options provide just the right level of detail to help you clarify ranges.

January 3-7 (Monday-Friday), 2022, At 09:00 a.m. – 05:00 p.m.

This phrase is a great way of showing a time and date range. It covers all the necessary information, starting with the month and dates. From there, it goes to the specific days, the year, and the time.

Everything you could possibly need is covered when this format is used. It’s also sufficiently formal, allowing you to use it in any situation whether you’re at work or in a more informal setting.

Since every detail is covered, you’ll often find that people don’t need further clarification or information. They won’t need to miss out on the event because they’ll know exactly when it is taking place.

• I think it’s set for January 3-7 (Monday-Friday), 2022, from 09:00 a.m. – 05:00 p.m. Does that ring any bells for you?
• It’s going to have to be held on June 10-14 (Tuesday-Saturday), 2020, from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. That’s my final offer.
• Can we do February 8-12 (Monday-Friday), 2022, at 09:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. That’s a good window of time for me to get this done.

Monday-Friday, January 3-7, 2022, 09:00 a.m. – 05:00 p.m. Daily

In the spirit of good detail, this phrase also works well. This time, the days of the week come first (which is more natural to most speakers). After that, the dates come, then it finishes with the time again.

This format is more traditional in spoken English. It’s common for days to come before dates because people are used to using things like “Monday-Friday” when they are casually speaking to people.

• Monday-Friday, January 3-7, 2022, 09:00 a.m. – 05:00 p.m. daily. That’s when this will be held. Be there!
• I think they said Monday-Friday, March 13-17, 2022, 09:00 a.m. – 05:00 p.m. daily. That’s about as good as it’s going to get, I’m afraid.
• You will have to be there on Wednesday-Sunday, August 20-24, 2022, 09:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. daily. That’s what we can offer right now.

M-F, 09:00-17:00, 3-7 Jan 2022

If you want a slightly more crisp time and date range, this phrase is a good one to use. You can abbreviate the days of the week to their starting letters (M-F). Also, it’s wise to use a digital clock when you don’t want to specify the “a.m.” or “p.m.” times in your message.

Shortening the month name (January to “Jan”) is a good way of getting straight to the point as well.

This format is great because it still covers all of the relevant information. However, it does it in a more concise way, which more people will respond to.

• I can do M-F, 09:00-17:00, 3-7 Feb 2022. What do you say about that? I think we have to settle on this right away.
• Are you going to be free M-W, 09:00-13:00, 6-10 Jun 2022? I think that’s the only time that we have on offer right now.
• I will be there M-F, 09:00-14:00, 4-8 Mar 2022. That’s about all the time we need to make sure that everything goes right here.

3-7 Jan 2022 (M-F 09:00-17:00)

This is another good way of using digital time over an analog one. Here, “January” is again shortened to “Jan” (and any month can do the same). Also, Monday and Friday are abbreviated to their starting letters, and a digital time frame is used.

It’s just another way of wording the above phrase. Some people prefer to get the dates out of the way first and then follow them with the days (rather than putting the days before the dates in the previous section).

• We’re going to go from 3-7 Jan 2022 (M-F 09:00-17:00). Do you think you’re going to be able to come along with us?
• I want to set this for 20-24 Nov 2022 (M-F 10:00-14:00). I’m not sure if there’s anything specific I need to bring, but I’m happy to learn.
• You will go from 10-14 Jul 2022 (M-F 12:00-20:00). That’s my final offer, and I expect you to follow through with my request here.

This/Next Monday To Friday Between 09:00 a.m. And 05:00 p.m.

This phrase works well when you’re speaking to someone in passing. If you’re only letting them know that something is happening, you might not need to set up a formal way for them to record the date or time range.

“This” and “next” are great ways of letting someone know the dates of something without specifying them. The assumption is that “this Monday to Friday” implies the days that come up next. “Next Monday to Friday” implies the following week after that.

As long as you know the differences between “this” and “next,” you’ll have an easy time understanding this time and date range.

• It’s going to be running this Monday to Friday, between 09:00 a.m. and 05:00 p.m. We hope that you’ll be able to come along!
• Join in! It’s next Monday to Friday, between 10:00 a.m. and 02:00 p.m. It’s going to be some of the most fun we’ve ever had around here.
• No, you’ll find it starts next Monday to Wednesday, between 12:00 p.m. and 08:00 p.m. Are you going to be able to attend?

From 3-7 January at 09:00 – 17:00 Daily

Here, the dates are reintroduced, but we’re still using a digital time frame to help people understand when something occurs. “From” is a prepositional choice that shows that something lasts between two different dates.

• I thought you said it was from 3-7 January at 09:00 – 17:00 daily! Why isn’t anything starting yet? Am I getting my dates confused?
• Yes, we’ve set it from 11-15 February at 10:00-18:00 daily. It’s going to be the most exciting event we’ve had here in a long time.
• I’ll be there from 22-26 March from 12:00-17:00 daily. I think that’s all I can manage, but I’ll see if I’m able to stick around for more.

Every Day This/Next Week

You can use “every day this/next week” when you are speaking colloquially with someone. If the week in question is already specified, then you don’t often have to take it any further than that.

People will not get confused by your meaning if you set a date like this. If you say “every day this week,” it implies that you mean every weekday (unless you specify otherwise).

• Of course, we’ve got it set for every day this week! We hope that’s going to be more than enough excitement for you.
• It’s on every day this week at the same time! Hopefully, you’ll be able to bring a few extra people along with you next time.
• You’ll find us here every day next week! Just ask for me by name, and I’ll be sure to come and help you out with it!

January 3-7, Monday-Friday, Between 09:00 And 05:00

This setting is a good choice, but you might notice that we’ve removed “a.m.” and “p.m.” It works well because it assumes that people already aspect it to run from the morning to the afternoon.

After all, saying 09:00 – 05:00 and meaning from morning to morning would be a very strange setting for an event. Most events don’t run for almost twenty-four hours, which is why you don’t always need to determine the time with “a.m.” and “p.m.” clarifications.

• We’ve set it for January 3-7, Monday-Friday, between 09:00 and 05:00. We really hope you can all make it. It wouldn’t be the same without you.
• June 13th-17th, Tuesday-Saturday, between 10:00 and 06:00. It’s the only time that we’re able to get this done, I’m afraid.
• It will be from December 20th-24th, Monday-Friday, between 07:00 and 10:00. Are you going to be able to make it or not?

The 3rd To The 7th Of This/Next Month, 09:00 – 05:00 Daily

This phrase is written out in a more streamlined way. The dash is removed and replaced with “to the.” It’s slightly more formal because of this, but it still removes the use of “a.m.” and “p.m.” because it assumes that people already understand when something runs.

• This event will run from the 3rd to the 7th of this month, 09:00 – 05:00 daily. Be there, or be square!
• We will host this from the 3rd to the 7th of next month. It’s 10:00 – 2:00 daily, so we hope you’ll be able to make it!
• The 13th to the 17th of next month will be the dates of the event. It will run from 12:00 to 3:00 daily. Will you be attending?

You may also like: 9 Best Ways To Denote Date and Time in Written English Correct Date Format by Country (UK vs. US vs. Europe)

Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here .

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Office of Marketing and Strategic Communications Western Michigan University Kalamazoo MI 49008-5433 USA (269) 387-8400

Writing Style Guide

A variety of different styles may be acceptable for formal invitations. The following style should be used in text for print and electronic communications. Use numbers for times, except for noon and midnight, use a colon to separate hours and minutes and do not use ciphers (double zeros) with whole hours.

• The meeting will be held from 8 to 11:45 a.m.
• Sessions begin at noon, 2:30 and 4 p.m.
• The workshop runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Lowercase a.m. and p.m. and always use periods.
• Lowercase noon and midnight.
• Do not use 12 noon or 12 midnight (redundant). Use noon or midnight.
• Do not use 12 p.m. or 12 a.m. Use noon or midnight.
• Do not use 8 a.m. in the morning (redundant) Use 8 a.m.
• Do not use o’clock with a.m. or p.m.

Do not use dashes

Do not use dashes in place of "to" or "through" or "and" or "until" with times of day or days of the week.

• Use : The meetings are 8 to 11 a.m., Monday through Thursday.
• Not : The meetings are 8-11 a.m., Monday-Thursday.

An n-dash may be used with dates (e.g., July 18–21), and should always be used with dates when both days of the week and dates are included .

• Example : The play runs Monday through Thursday, July 18–21.

When listing a beginning and ending time separated only by the word "to," or when listing a series of times when all times listed are a.m. or p.m., use a.m. or p.m. only once, following the final time listed.

Use : The meeting will be held from 8 to 11 a.m. Not : The meeting will be held from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Use : Sessions begin at 8:30, 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. Not : Sessions begin at 8:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

References to midnight can cause confusion. Is midnight Friday at the beginning or at the end of Friday? That’s why insurance policies usually take effect at 12:01 a.m. and why airline schedules list flights at 11:59 p.m. or 12:01 a.m. and not midnight.

In many references, midnight is perfectly acceptable. In the sentence, "The dance will be held from 8 p.m. to midnight Friday," the meaning is clear.

Stop Taking First Dates So Seriously

I have been privy to hundreds of first date stories, from the joyful first pangs of connection to the utter dread of a downer date. Clients of mine over the years have expressed how all they want is to have fun and engaging first dates, regardless of what happens between them and the other person. In fact, many of them have never had a single positive first date experience.

Recently, however, after a string of tense first dates where several men either talked about their exes or conducted the conversation like a meeting, one of my clients said "We all need to stop taking first dates so seriously!" She may have been on to something profound there.

First dates are an essential, but decidedly unserious part of dating. In fact, that’s the beauty of first dates: you get to enjoy learning about someone new without any of the demands of a relationship yet. They are testing grounds for a spark—not a guarantee of anything more than what they are. The purpose of a first date is to see if there is anything of interest between you and your date, but the seriousness of it all can get in the way of this very simple objective.

It feels like a universal desire that first dates feel easy and enjoyable. But because this desire also comes with an incredible amount of pressure (because, who knows—maybe it be could the start of a potential relationship), so many people feel like they’re failing at first dates, and falling into formulaic and stiff encounters. There’s an air of seriousness or anxiety to the date that makes it difficult to open up, flirt, and see if there's a connection. It’s hard to have fun when you’re worried about sweating into your drink, for instance. First date nerves are common, but they don’t have to dominate the evening . Verbally acknowledging the nerves or anxiety can bring the levels of these feelings down a bit and could inspire connection with a date, who is also likely to be experiencing first-date jitters no matter how calm and collected they seem.

Read More: Companionship Is Underrated

First dates are also not, contrary to popular belief, job interviews. For instance, one client shared with me that her date whipped out a print-out of “50 First Date Questions To Ask” and insisted they run down the entire list together. While questions help you get to know someone, moving an interaction from a conversation to an inquisition doesn’t set the mood for romance. There’s a give and take to conversation, and that banter is a dance that can make or break a date.

On the flipside, another common complaint I hear about first dates is that the date didn’t ask any questions at all. Not asking questions inhibits flirty banter and makes your date do all of the conversational heavy lifting. It also sends a strong signal that you’re not really interested in your date or being there, even if you’re having a good time. In the interest of keeping things light, asking how your date likes the place you picked or basic biographical information like where they grew up, and following up on anything about them that stood out, like interests or hobbies you have in common, could be great conversation starters. Tailored questions can spark connection and conversation that keeps you both engaged and enjoying yourselves.

There are a million different ways that first dates fizzle or are just plain annoying. It’s easy to go down a rabbit hole of how awful first dates can be, and there are plenty of examples all over the internet. It can make you forget that first dates are supposed to be lighthearted and casual opportunities for two people to meet and try to find common ground. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to having a good first date. The best first dates are those that take into account the needs and interests of everyone involved.

Read More: Is Summer Really the Sexiest Season?

Time and time again, I hear about how awkward first dates can be—and those people are right! It is an awkward experience, until it’s not and you get to know the other person. There is a certain amount of discomfort that we all go through when trying to find a potential partner. It’s, therefore, important to consider how you’d want to feel in your next relationship, so that you can get an indication from your date that there’s something worth pursuing. It’s also vital to note that not all mediocre first dates are a sign that there isn’t a connection. That elusive “spark” that most daters want to feel is something that can evolve over time .

Going on first dates with the expectation that anything can happen—and that the main goal is just to meet with a new person—can increase how much fun you have on a date. People who can acknowledge the stress that first dates create, stay open to the unique person in front of them, and take things less seriously will enjoy themselves more. There’s nothing on the line yet, so relax and just have a fun, weird time.

Because here’s the truth: No one has enough information before a first date to decide whether their date will be someone in their life long-term. That’s what dating is for.

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• Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/fact-checking-warnings-from-democrats-about-project-2025-and-donald-trump

Fact-checking warnings from Democrats about Project 2025 and Donald Trump

This fact check originally appeared on PolitiFact .

Project 2025 has a starring role in this week’s Democratic National Convention.

And it was front and center on Night 1.

WATCH: Hauling large copy of Project 2025, Michigan state Sen. McMorrow speaks at 2024 DNC

“This is Project 2025,” Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, said as she laid a hardbound copy of the 900-page document on the lectern. “Over the next four nights, you are going to hear a lot about what is in this 900-page document. Why? Because this is the Republican blueprint for a second Trump term.”

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, has warned Americans about “Trump’s Project 2025” agenda — even though former President Donald Trump doesn’t claim the conservative presidential transition document.

“Donald Trump wants to take our country backward,” Harris said July 23 in Milwaukee. “He and his extreme Project 2025 agenda will weaken the middle class. Like, we know we got to take this seriously, and can you believe they put that thing in writing?”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, has joined in on the talking point.

“Don’t believe (Trump) when he’s playing dumb about this Project 2025. He knows exactly what it’ll do,” Walz said Aug. 9 in Glendale, Arizona.

Trump’s campaign has worked to build distance from the project, which the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, led with contributions from dozens of conservative groups.

Much of the plan calls for extensive executive-branch overhauls and draws on both long-standing conservative principles, such as tax cuts, and more recent culture war issues. It lays out recommendations for disbanding the Commerce and Education departments, eliminating certain climate protections and consolidating more power to the president.

Project 2025 offers a sweeping vision for a Republican-led executive branch, and some of its policies mirror Trump’s 2024 agenda, But Harris and her presidential campaign have at times gone too far in describing what the project calls for and how closely the plans overlap with Trump’s campaign.

PolitiFact researched Harris’ warnings about how the plan would affect reproductive rights, federal entitlement programs and education, just as we did for President Joe Biden’s Project 2025 rhetoric. Here’s what the project does and doesn’t call for, and how it squares with Trump’s positions.

Are Trump and Project 2025 connected?

To distance himself from Project 2025 amid the Democratic attacks, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he “knows nothing” about it and has “no idea” who is in charge of it. (CNN identified at least 140 former advisers from the Trump administration who have been involved.)

The Heritage Foundation sought contributions from more than 100 conservative organizations for its policy vision for the next Republican presidency, which was published in 2023.

Project 2025 is now winding down some of its policy operations, and director Paul Dans, a former Trump administration official, is stepping down, The Washington Post reported July 30. Trump campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita denounced the document.

WATCH: A look at the Project 2025 plan to reshape government and Trump’s links to its authors

However, Project 2025 contributors include a number of high-ranking officials from Trump’s first administration, including former White House adviser Peter Navarro and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson.

A recently released recording of Russell Vought, a Project 2025 author and the former director of Trump’s Office of Management and Budget, showed Vought saying Trump’s “very supportive of what we do.” He said Trump was only distancing himself because Democrats were making a bogeyman out of the document.

Project 2025 wouldn’t ban abortion outright, but would curtail access

The Harris campaign shared a graphic on X that claimed “Trump’s Project 2025 plan for workers” would “go after birth control and ban abortion nationwide.”

The plan doesn’t call to ban abortion nationwide, though its recommendations could curtail some contraceptives and limit abortion access.

What’s known about Trump’s abortion agenda neither lines up with Harris’ description nor Project 2025’s wish list.

Project 2025 says the Department of Health and Human Services Department should “return to being known as the Department of Life by explicitly rejecting the notion that abortion is health care.”

It recommends that the Food and Drug Administration reverse its 2000 approval of mifepristone, the first pill taken in a two-drug regimen for a medication abortion. Medication is the most common form of abortion in the U.S. — accounting for around 63 percent in 2023.

If mifepristone were to remain approved, Project 2025 recommends new rules, such as cutting its use from 10 weeks into pregnancy to seven. It would have to be provided to patients in person — part of the group’s efforts to limit access to the drug by mail. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a legal challenge to mifepristone’s FDA approval over procedural grounds.

WATCH: Trump’s plans for health care and reproductive rights if he returns to White House The manual also calls for the Justice Department to enforce the 1873 Comstock Act on mifepristone, which bans the mailing of “obscene” materials. Abortion access supporters fear that a strict interpretation of the law could go further to ban mailing the materials used in procedural abortions, such as surgical instruments and equipment.

The plan proposes withholding federal money from states that don’t report to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention how many abortions take place within their borders. The plan also would prohibit abortion providers, such as Planned Parenthood, from receiving Medicaid funds. It also calls for the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that the training of medical professionals, including doctors and nurses, omits abortion training.

The document says some forms of emergency contraception — particularly Ella, a pill that can be taken within five days of unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy — should be excluded from no-cost coverage. The Affordable Care Act requires most private health insurers to cover recommended preventive services, which involves a range of birth control methods, including emergency contraception.

Trump has recently said states should decide abortion regulations and that he wouldn’t block access to contraceptives. Trump said during his June 27 debate with Biden that he wouldn’t ban mifepristone after the Supreme Court “approved” it. But the court rejected the lawsuit based on standing, not the case’s merits. He has not weighed in on the Comstock Act or said whether he supports it being used to block abortion medication, or other kinds of abortions.

Project 2025 doesn’t call for cutting Social Security, but proposes some changes to Medicare

“When you read (Project 2025),” Harris told a crowd July 23 in Wisconsin, “you will see, Donald Trump intends to cut Social Security and Medicare.”

The Project 2025 document does not call for Social Security cuts. None of its 10 references to Social Security addresses plans for cutting the program.

Harris also misleads about Trump’s Social Security views.

In his earlier campaigns and before he was a politician, Trump said about a half-dozen times that he’s open to major overhauls of Social Security, including cuts and privatization. More recently, in a March 2024 CNBC interview, Trump said of entitlement programs such as Social Security, “There’s a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting.” However, he quickly walked that statement back, and his CNBC comment stands at odds with essentially everything else Trump has said during the 2024 presidential campaign.

Trump’s campaign website says that not “a single penny” should be cut from Social Security. We rated Harris’ claim that Trump intends to cut Social Security Mostly False.

Project 2025 does propose changes to Medicare, including making Medicare Advantage, the private insurance offering in Medicare, the “default” enrollment option. Unlike Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage plans have provider networks and can also require prior authorization, meaning that the plan can approve or deny certain services. Original Medicare plans don’t have prior authorization requirements.

The manual also calls for repealing health policies enacted under Biden, such as the Inflation Reduction Act. The law enabled Medicare to negotiate with drugmakers for the first time in history, and recently resulted in an agreement with drug companies to lower the prices of 10 expensive prescriptions for Medicare enrollees.

Trump, however, has said repeatedly during the 2024 presidential campaign that he will not cut Medicare.

Project 2025 would eliminate the Education Department, which Trump supports

The Harris campaign said Project 2025 would “eliminate the U.S. Department of Education” — and that’s accurate. Project 2025 says federal education policy “should be limited and, ultimately, the federal Department of Education should be eliminated.” The plan scales back the federal government’s role in education policy and devolves the functions that remain to other agencies.

Aside from eliminating the department, the project also proposes scrapping the Biden administration’s Title IX revision, which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It also would let states opt out of federal education programs and calls for passing a federal parents’ bill of rights similar to ones passed in some Republican-led state legislatures.

Republicans, including Trump, have pledged to close the department, which gained its status in 1979 within Democratic President Jimmy Carter’s presidential Cabinet.

In one of his Agenda 47 policy videos, Trump promised to close the department and “to send all education work and needs back to the states.” Eliminating the department would have to go through Congress.

What Project 2025, Trump would do on overtime pay

In the graphic, the Harris campaign says Project 2025 allows “employers to stop paying workers for overtime work.”

The plan doesn’t call for banning overtime wages. It recommends changes to some Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, regulations and to overtime rules. Some changes, if enacted, could result in some people losing overtime protections, experts told us.

The document proposes that the Labor Department maintain an overtime threshold “that does not punish businesses in lower-cost regions (e.g., the southeast United States).” This threshold is the amount of money executive, administrative or professional employees need to make for an employer to exempt them from overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

In 2019, the Trump’s administration finalized a rule that expanded overtime pay eligibility to most salaried workers earning less than about $35,568, which it said made about 1.3 million more workers eligible for overtime pay. The Trump-era threshold is high enough to cover most line workers in lower-cost regions, Project 2025 said.

The Biden administration raised that threshold to $43,888 beginning July 1, and that will rise to $58,656 on Jan. 1, 2025. That would grant overtime eligibility to about 4 million workers, the Labor Department said.

It’s unclear how many workers Project 2025’s proposal to return to the Trump-era overtime threshold in some parts of the country would affect, but experts said some would presumably lose the right to overtime wages.

Other overtime proposals in Project 2025’s plan include allowing some workers to choose to accumulate paid time off instead of overtime pay, or to work more hours in one week and fewer in the next, rather than receive overtime.

Trump’s past with overtime pay is complicated. In 2016, the Obama administration said it would raise the overtime to salaried workers earning less than $47,476 a year, about double the exemption level set in 2004 of $23,660 a year.

But when a judge blocked the Obama rule, the Trump administration didn’t challenge the court ruling. Instead it set its own overtime threshold, which raised the amount, but by less than Obama.

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What Mark Zuckerberg really said — and didn't say — in that letter to Congress

Peter Kafka , Chief Correspondent covering media and technology

• Mark Zuckerberg runs Meta, one of the world's most valuable tech companies.
• Why did he just send Congress a letter admitting that Meta has screwed up?
• The letter isn't hugely revelatory, but still gives Republicans a weapon in the upcoming election.

Here's a head-scratcher: Why did Mark Zuckerberg just send Congress a letter admitting that Meta has screwed up in the past?

I have a hunch.

But before you can get into that, you have to look at what Zuckerberg actually said in his letter to Jim Jordan , the Republican lawmaker who has spent years trying to find evidence of an anti-conservative bias in Big Tech.

Very briefly:

• Zuckerberg says that in 2021, the Biden White House "repeatedly pressured" Facebook to censor some posts about the COVID-19 pandemic — pressure Zuckerberg now says was wrong. He says Biden's White House wasn't ultimately responsible for any actions Facebook took, however, because "we own our decisions." But he has some regrets about some of them today.
• Zuckerberg says that in 2020, Facebook "temporarily demoted" a New York Post story about Hunter Biden's laptop . And that in retrospect, it shouldn't have.
• Zuckerberg says that, unlike during the 2020 election, his Chan Zuckerberg charity won't spend money on helping people register to vote. He says he thought it was a decent thing to do four years ago, "to help people vote safely during a global pandemic."

In online conservative circles, starting with Jordan himself, Zuckerberg's letter/mea culpa is supposed to be a very big deal: a "Big win for free speech," as Jordan's judiciary committee tweeted .

Related stories

But if you take a closer look at what Zuckerberg said, and didn't say, you may come to the conclusion I've reached: that Zuckerberg very carefully gave Jordan just enough to claim a political victory — but without getting Meta in any further trouble while it defends itself against a federal antitrust suit .

Let's dig in. The first item in the letter, about the Biden White House pressuring Facebook during the pandemic, is by far the most politically meaningful.

For years, conservatives like Jordan have argued that Big Tech companies like Facebook have an anti-Republican bias. And here, finally, you have a Big Tech CEO saying a Democratic administration did indeed try to influence what happened on the platform. And that Zuckerberg now regrets some of the calls his team made about COVID content during the election.

People who pay attention to Silicon Valley and its internal fights over moderation on platforms like Facebook will know that Zuckerberg's comments are pretty mild. It's well established that various government bodies — including the Trump White House — were talking to all the platforms about COVID posts, among other things. And that there's been an industrywide pendulum swing against some of the platform-moderation efforts that built up over the years.

Still, there is something to be said for having the guy running one of the biggest platforms to say that stuff to lawmakers out loud, on the record.

Will that sway an undecided voter a few months before the 2024 election? I don't think so. But Republicans will try to make it so.

The letter becomes markedly less important after that. Zuckerberg's pledge not to fund voter-registration efforts doesn't seem very important since the pandemic has subsided. And while he acknowledges that those donations have been politicized by "some people" — which would include Jordan and other Republicans — he says his only regret about them is that they were politicized .

But the most telling thing about Zuckerberg's letter is the laptop anecdote.

If you're a normal person, the "Hunter Biden laptop story" probably doesn't mean much to you. If you spend time with a particular strain of conservative, it means a lot: It's a laptop containing all kinds of embarrassing emails and documents created by Joe Biden's son, which was initially dismissed by many people as a 2020 election hoax (for context: The Wall Street Journal , which had a first crack at the story, ended up passing; when the Post ran the story, one of the authors had his byline removed from the piece).

The concern that the laptop story was some kind of hack or disinformation campaign was why Twitter (bear with me here) prevented users from sharing links to the New York Post's coverage of the story in October 2020 — a dramatic overreach the company subsequently apologized for .

But now, Zuckerberg says, Facebook has admitted that it, too, made it harder for its users to get to that story. Aha!

Except you don't need a congressional committee to uncover that one. Because Facebook told the world it was doing that , as it was doing that.

Here's Facebook's rep Andy Stone, on October 14, 2020.

While I will intentionally not link to the New York Post, I want be clear that this story is eligible to be fact checked by Facebook's third-party fact checking partners. In the meantime, we are reducing its distribution on our platform. — Andy Stone (@andymstone) October 14, 2020

What if you were busy back then — what with the pandemic, and the election and all — and missed it?

No problem. Facebook executives have talked about this multiple times. Like in 2022, when Zuckerberg went on one of the world's most popular podcasts and told Joe Rogan why it "sucks" that he got the laptop story wrong. "When we take down something that we're not supposed to, that's the worst."

As maybe-well-intentioned-but-definitely-mistaken platform decisions go, making it hard to find the New York Post's coverage of the laptop story wasn't great. But it wasn't nearly as embarrassing as Twitter's call, which is why you don't hear many people obsessing about it today.

But "not a lot of people knowing about something" is not nearly the same as "Mark Zuckerberg admitting something." The former statement is true. The second isn't, but is way more exciting.

Which again, seems like the point of the whole exercise: Zuckerberg has tried to give Jim Jordan and his party a win — while giving them very little at all.

Watch: Bernie Sanders grills Starbucks' Howard Schultz about alleged anti-union practices

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Full Transcript of Kamala Harris’s Democratic Convention Speech

The vice president’s remarks lasted roughly 35 minutes on the final night of the convention in Chicago.

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By The New York Times

• Aug. 23, 2024

This is a transcript of Vice President Kamala Harris’s speech on Thursday night in which she formally accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for the presidency.

OK, let’s get to business. Let’s get to business. All right.

So, let me start by thanking my most incredible husband, Doug. For being an incredible partner to me, an incredible father to Cole and Ella, and happy anniversary, Dougie. I love you so very much.

To our president, Joe Biden. When I think about the path that we have traveled together, Joe, I am filled with gratitude. Your record is extraordinary, as history will show, and your character is inspiring. And Doug and I love you and Jill, and are forever thankful to you both.

And to Coach Tim Walz. You are going to be an incredible vice president. And to the delegates and everyone who has put your faith in our campaign, your support is humbling.

So, America, the path that led me here in recent weeks was, no doubt, unexpected. But I’m no stranger to unlikely journeys. So, my mother, our mother, Shyamala Harris, had one of her own. And I miss her every day, and especially right now. And I know she’s looking down smiling. I know that.

So, my mother was 19 when she crossed the world alone, traveling from India to California with an unshakable dream to be the scientist who would cure breast cancer.

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