# How do you express dates? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 31, 2011, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-express-dates/607983 "2011-12-31T21:56:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-express-dates/607983/41 "2012-01-01T23:09:39Z")
DD/MM/YY(YY) whenever there is a labelled block for numbers, as on cheques from the bank. When left to my own devices, I always write it - eg. Jan. 1, 2012, because there is no standardized format in Canada that is used by everyone, and I don’t like ambiguous dates (I’ve worked in accounting too long for that). My pet peeve - people who STILL manage to screw up the dates even when there are labelled blocks for them to use - obviously, blocks with DD MM and YYYY in it are too hard for some people to understand. ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-express-dates/607983/42 "2012-01-01T23:21:33Z")
Aussie here: dd/mm/yyyy ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-express-dates/607983/43 "2012-01-01T23:36:26Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > But the European system of small-medium-large and the ISO system of large-medium-small are more in order than the American system of medium-small-large. Only if you ignore the actual digits of the numbers. I cite my previous post: American: 43-21-8765 Euro/Australia/wherever: 21-43-8765 ISO 8601: 8765-43-21 Which is more in order? If you printed these on a strip of paper and had to make them match the ISO order, the American system would require one cut instead of two for the Euro system. At any rate, this is just quibbling since neither one is logical. But MM-DD does have practical benefits for me, with the added advantage that other Americans are not confused. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-express-dates/607983/44 "2012-01-02T04:41:09Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > day/month/year. European style, althought I’m A Merkin. +1 I didn’t vote since this popular option isn’t listed. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-express-dates/607983/45 "2012-01-02T05:10:13Z")
Don’t vote in public polls, but I do AD/BC. Thailand follows the European system of day/month/year, as an American I do month/day/year, so I switch between the two depending on whom I’m writing it down for. Helps if I’m dealing with dates that are only after the 12th of each month; then there’s no room for ambiguity. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-express-dates/607983/46 "2012-01-02T05:28:00Z")
For official stuff, I do it the normal US way month (written out), day (numerical), year (four digit). So, January 1, 2012, for example. For personal writing, I tend to do year (four digit), month (in Roman numerals), day (numerical). So, 2012·I·1. For naming files, YYYYMMDD, so 20120101. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-express-dates/607983/47 "2012-01-02T06:39:42Z")
day month year or year month day If I want to be really clear then it is Sunday 1 January 2012 Note: don’t do this on an IRS 10-40 form. No way Jose, for that you have to do it the American way of 1/1/12 ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-express-dates/607983/48 "2012-01-02T07:03:19Z")
When I sign things, I write Day of Month/ Abb. Month / Last two Digits of the Year - like 1 Jan 12. Sometimes I put the full year, but I have sloppy handwriting - last year’s year looked like I wrote _1ja\_200L_. (: ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-express-dates/607983/49 "2012-01-02T08:15:35Z")
> [@hermette](#): > > Day/Month/Year AD/BC Indeed. Like civilized people. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cara\_mel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@Cara\_mel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cara_mel)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-express-dates/607983/50 "2012-01-02T09:07:39Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > What’s today’s date? Today is the first of January, 2012. Smallest to largest. Starting with the middle, then going to the smallest, and then the largest? _That’s_ your idea of sensible? Ditto with addresses - smallest to largest : house number, street name, suburb/city with relevant post code, country so there! ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-express-dates/607983/51 "2012-01-02T10:51:53Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Sometimes I have to sort dates, so I’ve gotten into the habit of writing them “year, month, day.” So today would be 20111231. [Guvf vf, bs pbhefr, sbe zl bja hfr, fvapr zbfg crbcyr jbhyq unir gebhoyr qrpvcurevat vg.] > [@Bag\_of\_Mostly\_Water](#): > > Whenever possible, I use a format defined in [ISO 8601](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_8601). Or, more simply, “_almost_ what **panache45** said.” ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-express-dates/607983/52 "2012-01-02T13:14:43Z")
> [@Bag\_of\_Mostly\_Water](#): > > Whenever possible, I use a format defined in [ISO 8601](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_8601). Same here. I choose between the longer version with punctuation and the shorter version without depending on who’s reading and how difficult it is to include punctuation. I also use the short version for filenames and folder names on computers, when saving things that have multiple edition whose names otherwise are not very important. For example I might have a folder called ToDo and keep “to do” lists in it whose names are just ISO8601 timestamps. ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-express-dates/607983/53 "2012-01-02T14:59:27Z")
> [@Bag\_of\_Mostly\_Water](#): > > Whenever possible, I use a format defined in [ISO 8601](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_8601). That is new to me and as stupid as I think some of ISO is, it is worth considering. 12 years ago I decided to join the rest of the world with day,month, year writing out the month, i.e. 02jan12, to make it clear I don’t mean the first of February. If it seems necessary, I would add BC or AD. Perhaps being a Christian reinforces my sticking with the way it has always been. Everybody knows what BC and AD means. As long as we stick to 2012, the easily offended non Christians still have a grievance. The big joke is that Herod died in 4 BC. I really think we need to compromise and standardize on some stuff. Since the western world has dominated things in more recent times, we may as well stick to their stuff. I am sure the Chinese and Indians had measurement systems long before Napoleon and whatever big footed English King were born. Possibly due to stupidity of our state department, the metric system spread through out the third world after WWII. The sooner everybody adopts it the better. Just leave my legacy #6, #8, and #10 screws where 2 mm, 4mm, or 5mm weren’t used originally. As mentioned in the screw thread, repair people need everything that was ever used. I doubt there were ever cubit based threads. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-express-dates/607983/54 "2012-01-02T15:37:55Z")
MM/DD/YYYY. If I have to indicate an era, I’ll use CE/BCE. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-express-dates/607983/55 "2012-01-02T16:28:35Z")
I selected ‘AD/BCE’ because I’m utterly inconsistent with remembering which to use 😃 Oh, and DD/MM/YYYY. Of course. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-express-dates/607983/56 "2012-01-02T17:26:55Z")
Taking the thread title literally, I’ve come back to admit that I’ve never tried to express dates. Nor figs or prunes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-express-dates/607983.md?page=2)