Writing Years in Text
Write calendar years clearly as numerals in ordinary date and time references, normally using all four digits when ambiguity matters. The Australian Government Style Manual uses full years in body-text examples and reserves two-digit years for limited, clearly understood contexts.
Use numerals for ordinary year references, usually all four digits: “2026,” not an abbreviated form unless the context and style explicitly permit it.
Key details
Important caveats
Style Boundary
Specialized financial, tabular, or system contexts may permit shortened years; follow the governing style or data standard instead of shortening by habit.
Further guidance
Clarity Rule
Full four-digit years are usually the clearest default in prose and ordinary date references.
Practical Application
Write ordinary calendar years with numerals, normally all four digits in prose. Use shortened forms only when the genre or house style explicitly calls for them, and preserve enough context to avoid ambiguity across centuries.
Reader Check
Would a reader understand the year immediately without relying on a local shorthand convention?
Worked Example
Write “The policy changed in 2026.” In a timeline whose style explicitly permits abbreviated repeated years, follow that style consistently rather than shortening isolated years ad hoc.
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.
- Dates and time — Australian Government Style Manual (opens in a new tab)Australian Government Style Manual · Australian Government guidance for day–month–year dates, ordinal dates, decades, centuries, time zones, and en-dash spacing in date/time spans