How to write and speak dates in English

Are you confused about how to write and say dates in English? In this post, I will present the differences.

Writing dates

In English, we typically write dates in full like this:
  26 October 2014 or 26th October 2014
  My birthday is on 7 January. or My birthday is on 7th January.

If we use numbers only, we write:
  26/10/14 or 26-10-14

American English uses a different convention. In American English, the above examples are usually:
  October 26, 2014 or October 26th, 2014 (10/26/14 or 10-26-14)
  My birthday is on January 7. or My birthday is on January 7th.

Speaking dates

When we speak dates, we typically say the definite article the before the day and include the preposition of between the day and month:

  “the 26th of October” or “October the 26th”
  “My birthday is on the 7th of January.” or “My birthday is on January the 7th.”