By Vahid Alaghehband
The months are January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December. They always start with a capital letter. Use in with a month (in October) and on with a date (on October 12).
The trickiest to pronounce: February /ˈfeb.ru.er.i/ (many speakers say /ˈfeb.ju.er.i/), August /ˈɔː.ɡəst/ and September /sepˈtem.bər/.
The 12 months
| Month | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| January | Jan. |
| February | Feb. |
| March | Mar. |
| April | Apr. |
| May | May |
| June | Jun. |
| July | Jul. |
| August | Aug. |
| September | Sep. / Sept. |
| October | Oct. |
| November | Nov. |
| December | Dec. |
Are months capitalized in English?
Yes. Months are proper nouns in English, so they always start with a capital letter, in the middle of a sentence too: My birthday is in June. Days of the week follow the same rule (Monday, Friday), but seasons don't: in summer, in winter. This is different from Spanish, where months and days are written in lowercase.
In and on with months
- In with a month or month and year: in March, in March 2026.
- On with a date: on May 15.
- No preposition with next, last, this: next December.
How to write the date
American English puts the month first: October 12, 2026 or 10/12/2026. British English puts the day first: 12 October 2026 or 12/10/2026. In important documents, write the month as a word to avoid confusion. When speaking, use ordinals: October twelfth or the twelfth of October.
Practice the months with Vozi Bee
With Vozi Bee you practice spelling English words by level.
Explore Vozi Bee →Read next: the English alphabet and in, on, at.
Next step: if you don't know your level, take the English level test (about 15 minutes, with instant results). To keep working on this topic, see Vozi Bee's spelling bee practice by level.
Frequently asked questions
Are months capitalized in English?
Yes, always: January, not january.
How do you abbreviate the months?
Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., Jun., Jul., Aug., Sep. (or Sept.), Oct., Nov., Dec. May is not abbreviated.
Is it in January or on January?
In January for the month; on January 5 for a specific date.
How do you write the date in English?
US: month-day-year (October 12, 2026). UK: day-month-year (12 October 2026).
