How to write the date 23 May in British English?

Writing date 23 May in English can be done in a variety of ways. Here are some common ways to write the date 23 May in British English.

In British English, which is mainly used in Australia, the day is followed by the month, which is then followed by the year. The 23rd day of the month May, in the year 2019 , might be written in full (in order of complexity):


  • 23 May
  • 23 May 2019
  • 23rd May 2019
  • the 23rd of May 2019
  • the 23rd of May, 2019

The last two date formats are more formal. The “the” and “of” are optional but if you do use them, you must add both “the” and “of.” It is incorrect to say only “23rd of May” or “the 23rd May.”

As for the year, commas are not necessary when you write the date in British English, but you can if you prefer this style.

If you wish to add the name of the day, it should come before the date, and should either be separated by a comma or joined by “the” and “of.”


  • twenty-third, 23 May 2019
  • twenty-third the 23rd of May, 2019


23 May | Write the correct date format in British English words

How to write the date 23 May in numbers?

If you prefer to abbreviate the date, you can use the following style in British English. Again, the day comes first, then the month, then the year.


  • 23/5/19 or 23.5.19 or 23-5-19
  • 23May2019 or 23-May-19

The most commonly used separator in the all-numeric date format is a forward slash (/). However, you can also use a hyphen (-) or a period (.).



What is the correct date format (23 May) in English?

How you do this usually depends on whether you write a formal letter or an informal note; or whether your use the British or American date format. As you can see from the examples below, there are a number of ways in which you can write the same date.

A general rule: the more complicated the style of date, the more formal it is.



  • 23th or 23rd or 23st or 23nd
  • 23th or 23rd
  • 23th or 23st
  • 23th or 23nd
  • 23rd or 23th
  • 23rd or 23st
  • 23rd or 23nd
  • 23st or 23th
  • 23st or 23rd
  • 23st or 23nd
  • 23nd or 23th
  • 23nd or 23rd
  • 23nd or 23st
  • how do you write 23 May 2019
  • 23rd of May
  • 23 May spelling
  • May in number form
  • 23rd May or May 23rd