US vs. UK Date Format
Date order differs across editorial systems. Microsoft documents a month-day-year pattern in its style examples, while GOV.UK specifies forms such as “4 June 2017,” with the day before the month and no ordinal suffix. In international contexts, spelling the month out can reduce numeric ambiguity.
A common US editorial pattern is month–day–year, while GOV.UK house style uses day–month–year. Neither pattern is a universal rule for every US or UK publication, so follow the style guide that governs your document.
Key details
Important caveats
International Boundary
A country label alone does not replace a house style. Organizations can adopt their own formats, and numeric dates can be ambiguous internationally. Spell the month out when clarity matters.
Further guidance
Reader Check
Which audience and house style govern the document, and could a numeric date such as 04/06/2026 be read two different ways?
Uk Style Example
GOV.UK uses day month year, such as “4 June 2017,” without an ordinal suffix on the day and without a comma between month and year.
Us Style Example
Microsoft Style Guide examples use month/day ordering in US-oriented date notation. When following a US house style, apply its comma and abbreviation rules consistently.
Worked Example
For a UK-government-style document, write “4 June 2026.” For a US-oriented house style that uses month first, write “June 4, 2026.”
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Date and time terms — Microsoft Style Guide (opens in a new tab)Microsoft · Official Microsoft house-style guidance for dates and times, including date ordering and formatting examples.
- A to Z style guide — GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)GOV.UK · Official GOV.UK A-to-Z house style, including day-month-year date formatting and date-range conventions.