You wouldn’t think that knowing how Canadians usually write their dates would be important. But it is a sure way for you to avoid misunderstandings when you answer forms, fill out documents, and the like. So, if you’re understandably confused, we’re here to help you. This is how you can write the date in Canada.
Does Canada have a different way of writing dates?
Canada doesn’t necessarily have a different way. Other countries do use the same format so you can’t say it’s a different or unique way. Canada just has certain specific ways you should follow.
How do you write a date in Canada?
Now, we’ll discuss the different ways Canadians write their dates. There are 2 methods to do this. Underneath these methods, we’ll be stating specific rules and guidelines for a more detailed guide on how to write the date in Canada.
1. Numbers
One way to write a date is to use numbers or to write a numerical date. There is 1 accepted format when solely writing dates in numbers. This also happens to be the international standard format for writing dates. This is YYYY-MM-DD wherein Y stands for year, M for month, and D for day.
This format is used in most countries. The Canadian government usually requires dates to be written in this format when filling up government forms. An example of a date written in this format is 2022-12-19. That stands for December 19, 2022. Make sure to separate each number with a hyphen.
When writing numerical dates, there are 2 formats that you must avoid. These are DD/MM/YYYY and MM/DD/YYYY. Unless stated otherwise, it would be best to use the international standard format to avoid misunderstandings.
The same representation applies: D stands for day, M for month, and Y for year. This means that you must try to avoid writing your dates like this: 19/12/2022 or 12/19/2022.
2. Words and Numbers
We’ve covered numerical dates but what about dates with words and numbers? There are 2 accepted formats when it comes to words and numbers. These are month-day-year and day-month-year. Here’s an example.
Month-Day-Year: December 19, 2022
Day-Month-Year: 19 December 2022
If you want to write your dates in this format, you need to take note of a few things. The first is that the first letter of the month should always be capitalized.
Do not write ‘december’. Instead, write ‘December’. The day and year should remain numbers. Only the months can be written as words.
Finally, make sure that if you use the Month-Day-Year format, you put the comma between the day and the year.
The Takeaway
Dates can be tricky especially since there are so many ways you can write them down. Which way is right? How do you make sure whoever will read what you’ve just filled up will understand you? That’s what this guide is for.
Now that you understand what you must do when you need to fill up the date field on important forms, you can put your newly gained knowledge to use.