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Writing numeric dates

Question:

Is there a standard format for writing numeric dates?

Answer:

Many formats are used for writing the date; however, where official documents are concerned, only one correct format exists.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) recommends writing numeric dates in descending order: year, month, day. The dates can be presented in three different ways: with hyphens (i.e. 2004-08-16), without hyphens (i.e. 2004 08 16), or without spaces (i.e. 20040816). The latter format should be used only when space is limited.

For Government of Canada documents, the Translation Bureau recommends the use of a hyphen to separate the elements of the date. For example:

  • 2008-03-04 (stands for March 4, 2008)