How to write the date 5 January in British English?

Writing date 5 January in English can be done in a variety of ways. Here are some common ways to write the date 5 January 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 5th day of the month January, in the year 2019 , might be written in full (in order of complexity):


  • 5 Jan
  • 5 January 2019
  • 5th January 2019
  • the 5th of January 2019
  • the 5th of January, 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 “5th of January” or “the 5th January.”

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.”


  • Fifth, 5 January 2019
  • Fifth the 5th of January, 2019


5 January | Write the correct date format in British English words

How to write the date 5 January 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.


  • 5/1/19 or 5.1.19 or 5-1-19
  • 5Jan2019 or 5-Jan-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 (5 January) 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.



  • 5th or 5rd or 5st or 5nd
  • 5th or 5rd
  • 5th or 5st
  • 5th or 5nd
  • 5rd or 5th
  • 5rd or 5st
  • 5rd or 5nd
  • 5st or 5th
  • 5st or 5rd
  • 5st or 5nd
  • 5nd or 5th
  • 5nd or 5rd
  • 5nd or 5st
  • how do you write 5 January 2019
  • 5th of January
  • 5 January spelling
  • January in number form
  • 5th January or January 5th