Months in English are January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December. Learning their order is only the beginning: you also need to know their spelling, pronunciation, abbreviations and the prepositions used with dates.
This complete beginner’s guide gives you all of that, plus the surprising Roman story behind the names. Why does September sound like “seven” when it is the ninth month? The answer begins with an ancient calendar that traditionally had only ten named months.
Quick answer: English has twelve months, beginning with January and ending with December. Month names always start with a capital letter. Use in with a month — in September — and on with a full date — on 12 September.
The 12 months in English: names, abbreviations and days
| Number | Month | Common abbreviation | Number of days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January | Jan | 31 |
| 2 | February | Feb | 28 or 29 |
| 3 | March | Mar | 31 |
| 4 | April | Apr | 30 |
| 5 | May | May | 31 |
| 6 | June | Jun | 30 |
| 7 | July | Jul | 31 |
| 8 | August | Aug | 31 |
| 9 | September | Sep or Sept | 30 |
| 10 | October | Oct | 31 |
| 11 | November | Nov | 30 |
| 12 | December | Dec | 31 |
The short forms above are widely understood, but style guides differ about full stops. In modern British writing, forms such as Jan, Feb and Aug commonly appear without one. In a formal document, follow the organisation’s house style and remain consistent.
How to pronounce the months in English
Pronunciation varies slightly by accent, so the guide below uses simple sound clues rather than strict phonetic symbols. Capital letters show the strongest part of the word.
- January: JAN-yoo-uh-ree
- February: FEB-roo-uh-ree (the first r is often softened in quick speech)
- March: maach in many British accents
- April: AY-pruhl
- May: may
- June: joon
- July: joo-LY
- August: AW-guhst
- September: sep-TEM-buh
- October: ok-TOH-buh
- November: noh-VEM-buh
- December: dih-SEM-buh
A useful rhythm trick is to group the final four months together: Sep-TEM-ber, Oc-TO-ber, No-VEM-ber, De-CEM-ber. The stress moves, but their similar endings help your memory.
History note: The ten-month Roman calendar is a tradition reported by later Roman writers. Historians agree that the early calendar changed over time, but some details remain debated.
Why did the Roman calendar have only ten months?
According to Roman tradition, the calendar associated with Rome’s legendary founder Romulus began in spring with March and contained ten named months, ending with December. The remaining winter period was not organised into named months in the same way. This early arrangement is usually described as a 304-day calendar linked to agriculture, the seasons and lunar observation.
The details are not completely certain. The earliest calendar is not preserved as a neat archaeological document, and later Roman writers gave differing accounts. It is therefore best to treat the ten-month calendar as a strong Roman tradition rather than a perfectly documented timetable. A useful historical overview is available in the University of Chicago’s Encyclopaedia Romana.
Tradition credits the later king Numa Pompilius with adding or formalising January and February. Eventually January became the first month. Julius Caesar’s reform created the Julian calendar in the first century BC, and the Gregorian reform introduced in 1582 refined the system used internationally today.
The numerical clue hidden in four month names
When March was month one, September was month seven, October was month eight, November was month nine and December was month ten. Their Latin roots preserve that older order:
- September comes from septem, seven.
- October comes from octo, eight.
- November comes from novem, nine.
- December comes from decem, ten.
January and February were placed before March, moving these four names two positions forward without changing them. That is why “December” still carries the idea of ten although it is now the twelfth month.
Where the English month names come from
January: Janus and new beginnings
January is usually linked to Janus, the Roman god of doorways, passages and transitions. He was often represented with two faces, looking backwards and forwards — a fitting image for the start of a new year.
February: purification
February is connected with the Latin februa, purification rites held near the end of the old Roman religious year. The spelling is challenging because the written word keeps both r sounds even when speakers reduce the first one.
March: Mars
March comes from Martius, the month of Mars, the Roman god associated with war and also with the protection of agriculture. In the older system, spring made March a natural starting point for the year.
April, May and June
The origin of April is debated. It may be connected with the Latin verb aperire, “to open”, perhaps referring to flowers, or with an older divine name. May is commonly associated with Maia, while June is often linked to Juno. Ancient etymologies are not always as tidy as modern memory tricks suggest.
July and August: rulers replace numbers
July was originally Quintilis, the fifth month, and was renamed in honour of Julius Caesar. August was Sextilis, the sixth month, and later honoured Emperor Augustus. The popular story that Augustus stole a day from February merely to make his month as long as July is entertaining, but historians do not regard it as a reliable explanation of the calendar’s month lengths.
Months in English compared with French and other languages
English borrowed its month names through Latin and French, so learners who speak a Romance language will recognise much of the pattern. French has janvier, février, mars, avril, mai, juin, juillet, août, septembre, octobre, novembre and décembre. Spanish and Portuguese forms are also closely related.
The resemblance is helpful, but it can create spelling traps. English August is very different from French août; English January does not match French janvier letter for letter; and English month names always begin with a capital letter, unlike months in normal French sentences.
How to use months in English sentences
Use “in” with a month
Use in when you name only the month, or the month and year: “The course starts in September.” “We moved to Cardiff in March 2025.”
Use “on” with a complete date
Use on when a specific day is included: “The meeting is on 12 October.” In British English, the usual spoken form is “the twelfth of October”, while the written date commonly appears as 12 October 2026.
Do not use a preposition with “this”, “next” or “last”
Say “We are travelling next August”, not “in next August”. The same rule applies to “this January” and “last April”.
Always capitalise month names
Write Monday, 3 February, not “monday, 3 february”. In English, months and days of the week are proper nouns and take capital letters.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Febuary → February: do not lose the first r in writing.
- Agust → August: remember the first u.
- Septembre → September: French and English endings differ.
- in 15 May → on 15 May: use on for a complete date.
- in next June → next June: no preposition is needed.
Interactive spelling game: rebuild the calendar
Complete all four rounds, check each answer and see your final score out of 14. You can reveal the correct answers whenever you need help.
Round 1 — Add the missing letters
J_nu_ry · F_br_ary · A_g_st · D_c_mb_r
January · February · August · December
Round 2 — Unscramble the months
RCHMA · LIRPA · YAM · NUEJ
March · April · May · June
Round 3 — Put the months in calendar order
November · July · September · October
July · September · October · November
Round 4 — Correct the sentence
Our new term starts in 7 september.
Our new term starts on 7 September.
Complete a round and select “Check” to begin.
A simple way to memorise all 12 months
Divide the year into four groups of three: January–March, April–June, July–September and October–December. Say each group aloud, then write it without looking. Next, connect months with personal events: your birthday, holidays, work deadlines or the beginning of each season.
Remember that seasons depend on location. In the UK, meteorological spring begins in March, summer in June, autumn in September and winter in December. Learners in the Southern Hemisphere experience the opposite seasonal pattern, but the month order remains the same.
Keep building your English
Knowing dates is practical vocabulary for appointments, travel, forms and work. If you are unsure of your current level, begin with our cornerstone guide to language proficiency assessments or take the dedicated English Proficiency Test. You can then explore our explanation of CEFR language levels and practical English learning methods.
For structured practice with a teacher, discover Talk and Chalk’s English courses. Learners in Greater Manchester can also see our local options for English courses in Manchester. Lessons can focus on the vocabulary, pronunciation and real-life situations that matter to you.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 12 months in English?
They are January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December.
Which month has 28 or 29 days?
February has 28 days in a common year and 29 in a leap year. In the Gregorian calendar, most years divisible by four are leap years, except century years unless they are also divisible by 400.
Why is September the ninth month if “septem” means seven?
September was the seventh month in the traditional ten-month Roman calendar, which began with March. January and February were later placed before March, but September kept its old name.
Should English month names have capital letters?
Yes. Always capitalise January, February and every other month name in English.
Do I say “in May” or “on May”?
Use “in May” when you mention only the month. Use “on” when you include a date, as in “on 5 May”.
