There are two principal ways to write a date: by using entirely numbers, or by using a combination of words and numbers. There are also two standards for writing dates: the American English standard and the British English standard.

American English British English
numbers and letters May 7, 2013 7 May 2013

numbers only 05-07-2013 07-05-2013

In American English, the month always precedes the day. In British English, the month follows the date. This holds no matter whether one writes the date by using numbers only or numbers and words. Note that, in American English, there is a comma before the year, but not in British English.

important ESL writing