April Abbreviation: Apr. and Its Uses

What is the abbreviation for April?

The answer depends on the setting, but there are really only three choices.

All three are correct. The full word is the safest choice in running text, because it reads smoothly and saves only two letters when shortened. For a wider chart of every month, see the month abbreviation guide.

Using the April abbreviation with a period

In American English, Apr. takes a period because it is a cut down word, not a full word. The period tells the reader that letters are missing. British writers often drop it and write Apr, and that is normal in the UK.

• Capital letter: always. Month names are proper nouns, so apr. in lowercase looks like a typo.
• Plural: there is no plural form. Write "the Aprils of two different years" in full if you ever need it.
• At the end of a sentence: one period is enough. "The sale ends in Apr." does not need a second dot.

Why news writers keep April whole

Many American newspapers follow a style rule that shortens only the long month names, and only when a specific date follows. Under that rule you write Jan. 8 or Dec. 3, but March, April, May, June and July always stay spelled out.

Book publishers and academic writers are a bit looser. Many of them allow Apr. in notes, tables and citations, while still spelling April out in the main text.

APR in all capital letters

Some systems use a three letter code for every month, written in capitals. Airlines, shipping labels, bank statements and military date stamps often print the date as 09 APR or APR 09. In those settings the period is left off, because every month gets the same three letter treatment and the format itself signals that it is a code.

Do not confuse that code with APR on a loan or credit card, which stands for annual percentage rate. Context makes the difference clear: a date has a day number near it, and an interest rate has a percent sign.

Writing April dates correctly

A few patterns cover nearly every case in American writing:

• Month and day: April 22 or Apr. 22. Do not add th, so avoid April 22nd in formal writing.
• Month, day and year: put a comma after the day, as in "Apr. 22, 1970, was a Wednesday."
• Month and year only: no comma, as in "April 1970."
• Numbers only: 4/22 in the US. Much of the world puts the day first, so 22/4 means the same date elsewhere.

Quick tips for the fourth month

• Use Apr. only when space is truly short.
• Use APR in codes, data and all capital formats.
• Spell out April in sentences, emails and anything formal.
• Keep one style through a whole document.
• Never write Ap. or Apl.; they are not standard.

The month takes its name from the Latin Aprilis, the name the Romans used. For more everyday short forms, from days of the week to units, browse the common abbreviations section, or read how to abbreviate any word.