Dates and Years: A Quick Guide

Date posted: December 18, 2024  Author:

Writing dates and years might seem straightforward, but Bellevue College has specific rules to ensure clarity and consistency. From how to abbreviate months to formatting decades, here’s a breakdown of what to do.

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Dates and Years: A Quick Guide 

Writing dates and years might seem straightforward, but Bellevue College has specific rules to ensure clarity and consistency. From how to abbreviate months to formatting decades, here’s a breakdown of what to do (and what to avoid). 

 

Months 

  1. Spell Out When They Stand Alone
    Always spell out the full name of a month when it appears by itself or with a year. 
  • Correct: January is a great time to set goals. 
  • Correct: Classes begin in August 2023. 
  1. Abbreviate Months with Dates (When Needed)
    Abbreviate only months with six or more letters when paired with a specific date, but spell out the full name whenever space allows for better accessibility. 
  • Correct: Jan. 15, 2024 
  • Correct: August 14, 2023 

 

Days of the Week 

Spell out the names of days in prose unless space is limited, such as in a table. Avoid abbreviations like “Wed.” or “Thurs.” unless absolutely necessary. 

  • Correct: The meeting will be held on Monday. 
  • Correct: Classes begin on Tuesday, Aug. 29. 

 

Punctuation with Dates and Years 

  1. Use a Comma with Full Dates
    Add a comma before and after the year when the full date (month, day, and year) is included. 
  • Correct: The celebration on Dec. 31, 2015, was unforgettable. 
  • Incorrect: The celebration on Dec. 31 2015 was unforgettable. 
  1. No Comma with Month and Year Only
    Omit the comma when only the month and year are included. 
  • Correct: She started college in January 2023. 
  • Incorrect: She started college in January, 2023. 

 

Academic and Fiscal Years 

For academic and fiscal years, use a hyphen without spaces. Always include the full year followed by the last two digits of the following year. 

  • Correct: 2023-24 
  • Incorrect: 2023 – 24 or 2023–2024 

 

Numerals and Ordinals 

  1. Stick with Numerals for Dates
    Use Arabic numerals for days, and avoid adding “st,” “nd,” “rd,” or “th.” 
  • Correct: The event will be held April 15. 
  • Incorrect: The event will be held April 15th. 
  1. Decades
    Write decades without a possessive apostrophe and use an apostrophe to indicate omitted numerals. 
  • Correct: The 1950s were a transformative decade. 
  • Correct: Neon fashion made a comeback in the ’80s. 
  • Incorrect: The 1980’s were a transformative decade. 

 

Why It’s Important 

Consistency in how we write dates and years makes Bellevue College’s communications clear and professional. These guidelines help reduce ambiguity and keep text accessible for all readers. 

For more detailed writing tips, visit the Bellevue College Style Guide. By following these standards, you ensure your content meets the college’s high expectations—one perfectly formatted date at a time! 

Last Updated December 18, 2024