How to Write and Say the Year
Summary
Write years in numerals rather than words.
- Dark matter was first discovered in 1933.
- The world changed in 2020.
To say the year, pronounce the first two and then the second two digits as individual numbers.
- 1995 = nineteen ninety-five
- 2021 = twenty twenty-one
Years may be written in words in creative writing or at the start of a sentence.
- Twenty twenty-one was the year that everything changed.
The phrase “the year” before the name of a year is generally redundant, though it can sometimes help make the meaning clearer.
- We came here in
the year1999. - The year 2000 was a turning point in human history.
How to write the year
Years are generally written in numerals. A specific year refers to a 365-day period (366-day in a leap year) starting January 1. Each year has its own numeric value, usually indicated using figures.
- The first UFO was sighted in 1947.
- Tumkin visited Malta in 1984.
- In 2015, Russia intervened in Syria.
The abbreviations BC, AD, BCE, and CE may be used to specify the era. (The BCE/CE system is numerically equal to BC/AD.)
- The war lasted from 223 BC to AD 400.
- The tribe moved northward around 8000 BCE.
If no era is specified, it is assumed to be AD (or CE).
- Emily Dickinson was born in 1830.
Understood to be AD (or CE).
Abbreviated form
In informal usage, the year may be abbreviated by using an apostrophe in place of the first two digits that indicate the century.
- Here’s a picture of the Class of ’87.
- It was in ’66 that the wolves came down from the forest.
- My parents met in the summer of ’71.
- The new model was launched in ’02 and has been running ever since.
Use an apostrophe, not a closing quotation mark, to abbreviate a year.
- Incorrect: Did we go to Fiji in ‘90 or ‘91?
Correct: Did we go to Fiji in ’90 or ’91?
How to say the year
Names of years are pronounced in two parts: say the first two digits and then the second two digits as if they were individual numbers.
- 1066 = ten sixty-six (not one thousand and sixty-six)
- 1776 = seventeen seventy-six (not one thousand seven hundred seventy-six)
- 1815 = eighteen fifteen
- 1946 = nineteen forty-six
- 1997 = nineteen ninety-seven
- 2010 = twenty ten
- 2017 = twenty seventeen
- 2020 = twenty twenty
- 2021 = twenty twenty-one
For years up to AD 1000, the abbreviations BC and AD (or BCE and CE) are often included for clarity.
- 5000 BC = five thousand BC
- 722 BC = seven twenty-two BC or seven hundred twenty-two BC
The word and is optional and generally omitted in American English: seven hundred twenty-two or seven hundred and twenty-two
- 9 BCE = nine BCE
- AD 7 = seven AD
- AD 93 = ninety-three AD
- AD 515 = five fifteen AD or five hundred fifteen AD
- 723 CE = seven twenty-three CE or seven hundred twenty-three CE
For years in the first decade of a century—that is, years in which the third digit is zero—you may either pronounce the zero as “zero” or “oh,” or say the word “hundred” for the century.
- 1801 = eighteen oh one, eighteen zero one, or eighteen hundred one
- 1909 = nineteen oh nine, nineteen zero nine, or nineteen hundred nine
The last year of a century (1800, 1900, etc.) is said the same way as other years.
- 1800 = eighteen hundred
- 1900 = nineteen hundred
The years 1000 and 2000 are exceptions.
- 1000 = the year one thousand (not ten hundred)
- 2000 = the year two thousand (not twenty hundred)
The years 2001 to 2009 can be said in a few different ways.
- 2001 = twenty oh one, twenty zero one, or two thousand and one
- 2009 = twenty oh nine, twenty zero nine, or two thousand and nine
Pronounce abbreviated years as a single number.
- ’77 = seventy-seven
“She graduated in ’77” is read aloud as “She graduated in seventy-seven.”
- ’93 = ninety-three
- ’21 = twenty-one
Pronounce the zero as “oh” in abbreviated years.
- ’02 = oh two
“We set up the company in ’02” is read aloud as “We set up the company in oh two.”
- ’03 = oh three
When years like 1900 and 2000 are abbreviated, they are pronounced as the unabbreviated year would be.
- ’00 = the year 2000
Years written in words
When written in words, years are spelled out as they are pronounced. Don’t capitalize the numbers.
- In twenty twenty, it became normal to work from home.
- The war ended in nineteen forty-five.
- Nineteen twenty-five was a watershed year in motor racing.
In formal writing, numerals are not used at the start of a sentence. The Chicago Manual of Style suggests either spelling out the year or rephrasing slightly.
- Poor: 2013 started with the largest gathering of human beings in history.
Better: Twenty thirteen started with the largest gathering of human beings in history.
Better: The year 2013 started with the largest gathering of human beings in history.
The AP Stylebook suggests simply using figures for the year, even at the start of a sentence.
- Acceptable: 2013 started with the largest gathering of human beings in history.
In creative writing, names of years are sometimes spelled out.
It was during that minute in nineteen hundred and eighteen, that millions upon millions of human beings stopped butchering one another.
— Kurt Vonnegut, Breakfast of Champions (1973)
Note that names of years are generally written in numerals rather than words, particularly in formal writing.
- Anita’s first book was published in 1987.
pronounced nineteen eighty-seven
- Commercial printing began in 1450.
- Farley lost the lottery in 1999, 2000, and 2001.
- Rita climbed Mt. Everest in 1996.
The year in a date
When writing dates in American style, use commas to separate the year from month and day.
- The war ended on September 2, 1945.
- It was on January 1, 2001, that I first laid eyes on the diamond.
- On March 9, 2019, Rita joined the academy as a space cadet.
Remember to “close” your commas. Place a comma both before and after the year.
- Incorrect: The Durandians landed on October 3, 2031 in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
Correct: The Durandians landed on October 3, 2031, in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
In British style, the day appears before the month, and commas are generally omitted.
- The war ended on 2 September 1945.
- It was on 1 January 2001 that I first laid eyes on the diamond.
- The Durandians landed on 3 October 2031 in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
References to the current year are usually omitted. If a date refers to the current year, don’t mention the year unless necessary.
- Your flight is at noon on June 23.
of the current year
Years in ranges
When both years in a range belong to the same century, the digits for the century need not be repeated. If the century changes, show all the digits. Use an en dash (–) instead of a hyphen (-) to indicate a range.
- Significant progress was seen in the period 1907–14.
- The war of 1939–45 left scars on the European landscape that can still be seen.
- Not many companies survived the dot-com bubble of 1995–2000.
- In the years 1998–2007, the band released three albums, all of which went platinum.
To indicate a range comprising two consecutive years, a slash is often used.
- All courses have been canceled for the academic session of 2020/21.
- The 1999/2000 season was his most prolific.
“The year . . .”
Using the phrase “the year” is generally unnecessary before the name of a year. Avoid such redundancies in formal writing.
- We completed the mission in
the year1993. - The band was formed in
the year1967. - In
the year2003, the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon reentry into the atmosphere.
Note that sometimes “the year” may be helpful for clarity—for example, at the start of a sentence.
- The year 1958 saw many advances in rocket science.
We also use “the year” before years up to the number 1000 and to refer to the year 2000, as these numbers may not otherwise be immediately recognizable as names of years.
- By the year 480, the Franks were firmly established in northeastern Gaul.
- Zadie Smith’s White Teeth was published in the year 2000.