Many businesses and news outlets use the guidelines set out in the Associated Press Stylebook (also known as AP style). But how should you write dates in AP style? In this post, we explain:
For more information on all the above, watch the video or read on below.
The most important aspect of dates in AP style is to use Arabic numerals for dates and years instead of writing them out in full as words:
The event was held on 1 June 1987. ✓
The event was held on the first of June 1987. ✗
In addition, in AP style, you should not use ordinal numbers in dates:
Since 1 June, the company has been… ✓
Since 1st June, the company has been… ✗
As a default, it also suggests using the US date format since the AP Stylebook is a US English style guide. However, if you’re writing for an Australian audience, you will want to use the usual day-month-year date format (or the international date format if this is more appropriate).
With this in mind, we’ve adapted the examples here for Australian English. We’ll also note key differences between Australian and US English below.
AP style recommends abbreviating any month more than five letters long when writing a date (i.e. Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec.). However, you don’t need to abbreviate March, April, May, June, or July:
1 Jan. 2014 ✓ 6 June 1982 ✓
1 January 2014 ✗ 6 Jun. 1982 ✗
If you refer to a month without an exact date, though, always write it in full:
She graduated in November 2019. ✓
The August holidays were sunny and warm. ✓
The exception to this rule is tabular material, where you can use three-letter forms with no full stops (i.e. Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). The same applies to days of the week (i.e. Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun), which should always be written in full elsewhere.
You don’t usually need to give the day of the week with a date. However, if you do, use a comma to set it off from the rest of the date:
The pair met Sunday, 22 Oct. 2017. ✓
The pair met Sunday 22 Oct. 2017. ✗
In addition, AP style recommends using a day of the week to avoid vague time elements, such as ‘today’, ‘tonight’, ‘tomorrow’ or ‘yesterday’:
The main street was closed Tuesday for a parade. ✓
The main street was closed yesterday for a parade. ✗
And if you’re referring to an event more than a week from your publication date, give the date instead of the day of the week:
The parade, which took place on 14 May, drew a crowd of 14,000. ✓
Last Tuesday’s parade drew a crowd of 14,000. ✗
This helps to ensure clarity for the reader about the date in question.
The AP Stylebook recommends the American English style of punctuating dates, which means setting years apart with commas. This will mean adding a comma before the year when a date appears at the end of a sentence:
Subscribe to our newsletter and get writing tips from our editors straight to your inbox.
Mr. Albert was born Jan. 17, 1984. ✓
And you should add a comma after the year if the sentence continues:
Born Jan. 17, 1984, Mr. Albert went on to… ✓
However, these commas are much rarer in Australian English. As such, you may want to ignore this rule if you’re writing for an Australian audience (or readers in another country where day-month-year dates are standard).
In addition, if you only mention a month and year, no comma is required:
The scheme was announced in June 2020. ✓
This last point applies in all English dialects, including American English.
When abbreviating a decade, AP style requires an apostrophe at the start:
The ‘beehive’ hair style was popular throughout the ‘60s. ✓
However, you should not use one before the ‘s’ in decades or centuries:
The early 1800s were a time of rapid change. ✓
During the 1950’s, there was a post-war baby boom. ✗
This is because the ‘s’ here indicates a plural, not possession.
AP style recommends omitting the word ‘on’ before a day or a date:
The Council met Tuesday to discuss the plan. ✓
The Council met on Tuesday to discuss the plan. ✗
However, you should use ‘on’ with a date if it’s the first word in a sentence:
On 12 July, the new law came into effect. ✓
And you should include it to prevent ambiguity. In the following, for instance, we include ‘on’ to clarify that we’re referring to ‘Dr Freeman’ on a specific day, not someone called ‘Dr Freeman Tuesday’:
He met with Dr Freeman on Tuesday. ✓
He met with Dr Freeman Tuesday. ✗
It’s worth noting, though, that omitting the ‘on’ in this context is rarer in Australian English than American English. So whether you want to follow this rule may depend on where your audience is based and your chosen dialect.
Generally, AP style forbids starting a sentence with a numeral, recommending either spelling out the number or rephrasing the sentence. But it makes an exception for years, which can go at the start of a sentence:
2009 was a good year for Barack Obama. ✓
As such, it’s fine to do this as long as the sentence reads smoothly.
We hope this post has clarified the basics of dates in AP style. And if you’d like help proofreading documents in AP style, our editors are available 24/7. Submit a 500-word sample document for free to find out more.
Δ
3-minute read
Google Docs is a powerful collaborative tool, and mastering its features can significantly enhance your...
2-minute read
If you’re writing about health issues, you might need to reference the Centers for Disease...
5-minute read
Introduction If you’re involved with ecommerce, you’re likely familiar with the often painstaking process of...
Are you interested in learning more about the role of a content editor and the...
4-minute read
Proofreading is important to ensure your writing is clear and concise for your readers. Whether...
Creating presentations can be time-consuming and frustrating. Trying to construct a visually appealing and informative...