Date Format in the United States (2024)

Date Format in the United States (1)

The United States is one of the fewcountries that use “mm-dd-yyyy” as their date format–which is very veryunique! The day is written first and the year last in most countries(dd-mm-yyyy) and some nations, such as Iran, Korea, and China, write the yearfirst and the day last (yyyy-mm-dd). But why did Americans choose to write themonth first? Oneof the hypotheses is that the United States borrowed the way it was writtenfrom the United Kingdom who used it before the 20th century and then laterchanged it to match Europe (dd-mm-yyyy). American colonists liked theiroriginal format and it’s been that way ever since.

The United States has a rather unique way of writing the date that is imitated in very few other countries (although Canada and Belize do also use the form). In America, the date is formally written in month/day/year form. Thus, “January 1, 2011” is widely considered to be correct. In formal usage, it is not appropriate to omit the year, or to use a purely numerical form of the date. For example, if you were to write a formal letter for business, you would write out the entire date, including the name of the month (January 1, 2011). Writing it out in full allows for the notation to be understood even by people for whom the month/day/year form is relatively uncommon.

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Date Format in the United States (2024)

FAQs

Date Format in the United States? ›

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

How to write date in US format? ›

In traditional American usage, dates are written in the month–day–year order (e.g. June 15, 2024) with a comma before and after the year if it is not at the end of a sentence and time in 12-hour notation (8:05 am).

What is USA Todays date format? ›

Today's date in numbers is: MM-DD-YYYY: 06-16-2024.

What is the format of American dates? ›

The state abbreviations are always in the same format: two letter abbreviations where both letters are uppercase and no periods or spaces between each letter. This format is the official USPS postal abbreviation. When writing for text or in references, traditional abbreviations are used.

Which countries use mm, dd, yyyy? ›

The date format mm dd yyyy (month-day-year) is primarily used in the United States, Canada, and the Philippines. It is also used in some other countries such as Belize and Micronesia, as well as in some instances in Mexico.

What is the valid date format in USA? ›

In America, the date is formally written in month/day/year form. Thus, “January 1, 2011” is widely considered to be correct. In formal usage, it is not appropriate to omit the year, or to use a purely numerical form of the date.

What is the correct date format? ›

FAQs. What is the correct format for writing dates in the United States? The standard format for writing dates in the United States is Month-Day-Year. For example, “August 30, 2023.” You may also see the month abbreviated to three letters, such as “Aug 30, 2023.”

How do I convert a date to US format? ›

Right-click on the selected cells and choose "Format Cells." In the "Format Cells" dialog, go to the "Number" tab, and select "Date" from the list on the left. From the "Locale (location)" drop-down, choose "English (United States)" or any other locale that uses the US date format.

What is the correct format for today's date? ›

The international standard recommends writing the date as year, then month, then the day: YYYY-MM-DD. So if both Australians and Americans used this, they would both write the date as 2019-02-03. Writing the date this way avoids confusion by placing the year first. Much of Asia uses this form when writing the date.

What is the date format in the US and British? ›

Whatever the format, in British English, dates are usually written in the order day – month – year, while in American English they are written month – day – year.

How do Americans date? ›

America. America has a distinct dating way of life than other countries. Us citizens are open-minded and carefree, consequently they're very likely to embrace informal dating and hooking up. They also don't truly feel pressure to find a marriage or maybe a family as quickly as Europeans do.

What is the basic format date? ›

Date Format Types
FormatDate orderDescription
1MM/DD/YYMonth-Day-Year with leading zeros (02/17/2009)
2DD/MM/YYDay-Month-Year with leading zeros (17/02/2009)
3YY/MM/DDYear-Month-Day with leading zeros (2009/02/17)
4Month D, YrMonth name-Day-Year with no leading zeros (February 17, 2009)
24 more rows

What is the main date format? ›

The ISO 8601 format YYYY-MM-DD (2024-06-14) is intended to harmonize these formats and ensure accuracy in all situations. Many countries have adopted it as their sole official date format, though even in these areas writers may adopt abbreviated formats that are no longer recommended.

How to write date in USA? ›

In American English, dates usually take the following form: Month/Day of the Month/Year. In some cases, the year and month are switched (Ex. – YYYY-DD-MM or 2015-21-06).

What is the preferred date format? ›

If you have to stick to one format without user preferences, I would go with: Month Day, Year (Ex: May 1, 2001). This reduces the ambiguity of displaying a date like 05/01/01 and having it interpreted four different ways considering the year and month/day variations.

What is the dd mmm yyyy format? ›

Date/Time Formats
FormatDescription
DD/MMM/YYYYTwo-digit day, separator, three-letter abbreviation of the month, separator, four-digit year (example: 25/JUL/2003)
MMM/DD/YYYYThree-letter abbreviation of the month, separator, two-digit day, separator, four-digit year (example: JUL/25/2003)
46 more rows

Is it January 1st or January 1st? ›

In both American and British English, the word or number order will depend on the context. For example, if you wish to write the date in the form of a full sentence, it will look like one of these: Today is the 1st of January, 2020. The date is January 1st, 2020.

Is it May 7th or 7th May? ›

In the US, the form "May 7", or "May 7th", or "May 7, 2019" is very common, as is "05/07/2019". In much of Europe the form "7 May 2019" is common (note no commas) or "2019-05-07" (the ISO date format). Particular organization may have their own perfected style.

What is the correct way to write the date? ›

If an Australian writes February 3, 2019 as 03/02/2019, but an American writes the same date as 02/03/2019, who's right? The international standard recommends writing the date as year, then month, then the day: YYYY-MM-DD.

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