BE & AE: writing dates
If you have a meeting with a colleague from abroad on this date: 04.11.2022, when should you turn up for the meeting?
- On 4 November, 2022
- On April 11, 2022
This is a trick question.
If your colleague is using British English, your meeting will be on 4 November.
If your colleague is using American English, your meeting will be on April 11.
British people write the date just like Germans do: day.month.year. Therefore, 04.11.2022 is 4 November, 2022 in British English.
Americans, on the other hand, write the date like this: month/day/year. Therefore 04/11/2022 is April 11, 2022 in American English.
How can you avoid this misunderstanding? It’s best to always write out the name of the month. If your confirmation e-mail looks like this: “I am happy to confirm that I will attend the sales meeting on 4 November, 2022,” there is no room for confusion. It is worth the few extra strokes on the keyboard if it will save you from coming to a meeting seven months late!