Learn English – How should the year be capitalized

capitalizationdates

I suppose a year number to be a proper noun, naming a unique year. Therefore, when written as text, it should be spelled with initial capital letters. But there does not seem to be general agreement about this.

Few authorities offer a rule at all, probably because year numbers are more commonly written as Arabic numerals. One source treats a year number as a common noun, like any number. A second agrees but says some authors consider a year number to be a pronoun when not preceded by the words "the year". A third says a year number names a unique year and must be treated as a proper noun, citing The Winston Grammar Program by Paul E. Erwin.

On wedding invitations, etiquette authorities agree, the year is traditionally written as text. It is for this reason, I suppose, that some authorities think to address capitalization of the year. However, there is no consensus. It is more common to see the advice to capitalize the first word of the year (only). Most Google search results for [ capitalize year wedding etiquette ] give this advice. On the other hand, that paragon of etiquette virtue, Emily Post, specifically prohibits it, saying only the names of weeks and months are to be capitalized.

In short, I can find support for three different capitalization rules for year numbers:

  • no capitalization (written number rule), e.g.: "the year thirteen sixty-one"
  • capitalize first initial letter (wedding invitation rule), e.g.: "the year Thirteen sixty-one"
  • capitalize all initial letters (proper noun rule), e.g.: "the year Thirteen Sixty-one"

How should the year be capitalized?

Best Answer

There are only two kinds of documents in current usage that spell out the year -- legal documents, and wedding invitations.

Legal documents normally spell the year in lowercase, such as in this numbing bit of prose from West Virginia:

For any tax imposed under the provisions of this article with respect to any taxable year prior to the first day of January, one thousand nine hundred eighty-three, a resident individual shall be allowed a West Virginia exemption of six hundred dollars for each exemption for which he is entitled to a deduction for the taxable year for federal income tax purposes.

Some legal documents capitalize everything for extra pomp, but it's uncommon:

In testimony whereof, I hereunto subscribe my hand and affix the seal of said Court, at Office, in Nashville, the 6th day of December in the Year One Thousand Nine Hundred Eighty-Four and in the 209th Year of American Independence.

Wedding invitations, as noted, tend to capitalize the first letter only; however, this seems to be the only justification I can find:

The “T” in Two thousand doesn’t have to be capitalized but everyone does it so it would probably look incorrect if it wasn’t and it will look more polished if it is capitalized.

So, in modern usage, it appears that the rules for capitalization are:

  • Spell the year out in lowercase.
  • Except in wedding invitations, where the first letter is capitalized because everyone does it.
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