Do you put a comma between a month and year

Do not place a comma between the month and the day of the month; they are considered a single unit in English. Add a comma after the day of the week, the day of the month, and the year.

Do not place a comma between the month and the day of the month; they are considered a single unit in English.

I have a meeting on November 12.

I have a meeting on November, 12.

Add a comma after the day of the week, the day of the month, and the year.

I went to Chicago on Saturday, September 26, 2020, to visit my mother.

I went to Chicago on Saturday September 26 2020 to visit my mother.

No comma is necessary, however, for just the month and the year.

I met my husband in January 2015.

Contents

• 1. Referring to a Specific Day
  • The month and the day of the month
  • Commas after the day and the year
• 2. No Comma needed when Indicating Just the Month and the Year
• 3. Commas with Time Intervals
• 4. No Comma Needed with One Element
• 5. A Different Date Format
• 6. More Examples
  • Indicating a specific day
  • Mentioning just the month and/or the year
  • Time intervals
  • Using one element
• 7. Conclusion
• 8. References

1. Referring to a Specific Day

The month and the day of the month

The month and the day of the month always become a single unit, so you must not separate them with a comma.

My flight is scheduled for April 11.

My flight is scheduled for April, 11.

Commas after the day and the year

Place a comma after the day of the week, the day of the month, and the year.

She was born on Friday, November 5, 1993.

She was born on Friday November 5 1993.

Do not forget to add a comma after the year.

The column was published in the March 15, 2021, edition.

Mary came to New York on Friday, September 18, 2020, to watch a Broadway show.

Learn more about commas with place names and addresses when combining them with dates. For example:

I was born on February 5, 1976, in Chicago, Illinois.

2. No Comma needed when Indicating Just the Month and the Year

No comma is necessary when we just mention the month, the year, or both.

John went to Rome in July 2021.

They moved here in May.

Madrid, the capital of Spain, was established in 1083 by King Alfonso I.

3. Commas with Time Intervals

The same punctuation rules apply when indicating a period of time.

Our vacation will last from Wednesday, July 27, 2022 to Monday, August 15, 2022.

We can express a time interval of several months as follows:

Complementary funding will be raised to implement the project from January to July, 2021.

Recommended: Commas with adverbs of time

4. No comma Needed with One Element

We do not use a comma with only one date element.

Do not travel to Argentina on Monday because there are some travel restrictions.

They will come to visit us in December.

Remember that the month and the day of the month is a single element of a date.

I will get married on July 23.

5. A Different Date Format

It is customary to avoid the use of comma with this format: 27 March 1997.

My brother was born in 5 April 1989.

This is the most common date format in Europe (including the UK). Despite not being broadly used in the United States, the American English writing guide "The Elements of Style" recommends it.(1)

❝ The last form (6 April 1988) is an excellent way to write a date; the figures are separated by a word and are, for that reason, quickly grasped. ❞

You have likely seen dates are written out in various ways (i.e., date-month-year format vs. month-date-year format) and have wondered about these differences.

Depending where you live determines which format you follow, although, for stylistic purposes, you may choose which is most comfortable to you – as long as you are consistent in its use.

When teaching dates and proper formatting, I find when students aren’t consistent in how they write their dates, they quickly become confused about how they should be punctuated and misuse comma date rules or forget to use them altogether.

Let’s look closer at the different ways you can write out a date and learn where proper punctuation belongs to avoid common grammar mistakes. 

Writing the Date Using Only the Month and Year

Starting small and adding more information to a written date is a practice I use with younger students to help them see how each addition requires different punctuation. The comma may be a small, single element, but when used incorrectly can create confusion.

No punctuation is needed if you are simply stating the month and year.

For example:

• The last time I spoke with her was in June 2018.
• I believe that her work was completed in February 2020 before she left the company.

Writing the Date Using the Month, Date, and Year

The American date format is to write the month-date-year in that order. When written this way, you use a comma after the date but not after the month.

For example:

• School started on August 4, 2022.
• The last time I traveled overseas, my departure date was May 11, 2017.

You should also follow the year with a comma when the sentence begins with the date.

For example:

• December 6, 2023, is the gala, and it will be a Holiday themed event.

Style guides also recommend closing commas when used with the month, date, year format when placed in the middle of sentences.

For example:

• The race on September 5, 1996, served as an example for future events.

British Date Format

The British use an inverted style of date writing compared to the American format. Their dates are written day-month-year. The month is always spelled out, and no comma is necessary.

For example:

• Sean’s plane left on 16 March 2014.
• The sailboat charter sails on 27 May 2023.

You also should still follow the year if the sentence is introduced with a date.

For example:

• On 9 June 1978, the greatest party was held in London to celebrate a Royal’s birth.

I was referring to this above when I said to stick to one style. The British format is recognized in the United States (in fact, it is more widely recognized worldwide), but you should never mix and match the two different formats.

If you are wondering why the two are different, so are many other people. The origin of why these differences occur is a puzzle, but personally, I believe it was due to Americans’ wanting to distance themselves from everything British during the Revolutionary period.

Writing the Date Using the Weekday, Month, Date, and Year

If writing dates includes the weekday in a weekday-month-date-year format order, you must place a comma between the weekday and month and between the date and year.

For example:

• The doctor’s appointment is on Wednesday, August 31, 2022.
• The last day of school is Thursday, May 26, 2023.

Reviewing How to Write the Date with Commas in a Sentence

Correct grammar dictates that you should avoid writing a date without the year unless you are writing informally and to an audience that would already have reference to what dates you are sharing.

For example, you may text or email somebody telling them you can’t wait to see them in June. Or, you may refer to a recent past date: On Monday, May 3, we went snorkeling.

Otherwise, always use the year to provide a formal writing tone and added clarity about the date in question.

Let’s review the rules about comma usage format for the dates found above:

• When writing the month and year, no commas are needed (January 1988).
• Month, date, year format requires a comma after the date but not after the month (June 6, 1960).
• Weekday, month, date, year format requires a common between the weekday and month and between the date and year (Tuesday, March 28, 2012).
• Always follow the year with a comma when your date begins a sentence or is located in the middle of a sentence.

The common date format we are used to is the American format, but it is important to recognize how formats for writing dates vary in other countries.  

How do you write month and year together?

If only the month and year are used, do not use commas. Do not use the word "of" between the month and the year. Use: We met in December 2011 (not December of 2011). Appositives and phrases introduced by a comma must always be closed by a comma (or period at the end of a sentence).

Is there a comma in August 2022?

The American date format is to write the month-date-year in that order. When written this way, you use a comma after the date but not after the month. For example: School started on August 4, 2022.

Is there a comma after January 2022?

The American format writes the month first, followed by the date, then the year if necessary. In this format, only place a comma after the date and before the year. If there's no year, no comma is necessary. However, the British style uses the date–month–year format.

Should I put a comma after a year?

When the date appears in the middle of a sentence, commas should appear both before and after the year. The store closed its doors for good on Wednesday, October 15, 1958. Her arrival on Monday, April 11, 1988, was considered a turning point for the company.