The standard year abbreviation is yr., and the plural is yrs. You will see it on job applications ("yrs. at current address"), on warranty cards, in sports stats and in quick notes where space is tight. In very compact settings, such as chart labels and finance tables, a single letter y can also stand for year.
Most sentences still spell the word out. The short form belongs in tables, forms, labels and casual notes, where readers expect to scan rather than read. Below you will find which form fits which job, how to handle ages and dates, and the common short forms built on the word.
Quick facts
Main abbreviation
yr. (or yr without a period)Plural
yrs. (never yr's)Compact form
y, as in 5y on a chart axis or y/o for years oldDate formats
YYYY for a four-digit year, YY for two digitsUsed in
Forms, résumés, warranties, stats, data tablesRelated short forms
YTD, YOY, FY, p.a.Not to be confused with
yd. (yard) and y. in a math problem
Which year abbreviation should you use?
Pick the form that matches the space you have and the people reading it.
| Form | Meaning | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| yr. | one year | Forms, invoices, résumés, notes |
| yrs. | two or more years | Experience lines, age fields, warranties |
| y | year, in tight spaces | Chart labels, finance terms like 10y |
| YYYY | a four-digit year | Date format hints on forms |
| ' | missing first two digits | Class of '99, the '80s |
The abbreviation for year is said as the full word. Nobody reads "3 yrs." aloud as "three yurz"; you say "three years." Similar shortcuts for everyday words fill the common abbreviations section.
Period or no period after yr
Formal American writing usually puts a period after the letters: yr. and yrs. The dot signals that letters were cut from a longer word. In spreadsheets, text messages and product labels, people often drop it, and "yr" with no dot is easy to read.
Pick one habit and hold to it across the whole document. A résumé that says "2 yrs." in one line and "4 yr" in the next looks careless. The plural is made by adding an s, never an apostrophe. "Yr's" would mean something that belongs to a year.
Writing ages and time spans
Ages are where the short form shows up most. A form might ask for "Age (yrs.)" or a pediatric chart may list "4 yr 6 mo," meaning four years and six months. Online, y/o or yo means years old, as in "my 7 y/o loves puzzles."
Job application line: "Time at current address: 3 yrs. 2 mos." The applicant has lived there three years and two months. The abbreviation for months sits right next to the one for year, and both take a period in this style.
When the number and the unit work together as one describing word before a noun, add hyphens: a 5-yr. warranty, a 10-yr. plan. In regular prose, write "a five-year warranty."
Short forms built on year
Business and school writing uses several abbreviations that start or end with Y:
- YTD, year to date: totals from the start of the year until today, common on pay stubs.
- YOY, year over year: a comparison with the same period a year earlier.
- FY, fiscal year: a 12-month budget period that may not start in January.
- p.a., per annum: Latin for per year, used with interest rates and salaries.
- AY, academic year: the school calendar from fall to spring.
In science, the letter a, from the Latin word for year, is sometimes used as a unit symbol, so Ma means a million years. Most everyday readers will never need it.
Year abbreviation in dates
Date fields often show a pattern like MM/DD/YYYY. Each Y stands for one digit, so YYYY asks for all four digits of the year and YY asks for the last two. A credit card expiration box usually reads MM/YY.
In casual writing, an apostrophe can replace the first two digits: the '90s, the class of '05. The mark should curl like a comma pointing down and to the left, the same shape as an apostrophe, not an opening quote mark.
Mix ups to avoid
- yr. vs yd. Yd. is yard, a unit of length. A sports stat line may use both, so read carefully.
- yr. vs y. A lone y can be a variable in math class, so use yr. in schoolwork where confusion is possible.
- Your vs yr. In old letters and some texting, yr also means your. Context makes it clear.
Wondering whether yr. is an acronym? It is not; it is a clipped word, and acronym vs abbreviation shows the difference.
Questions people ask
How do you abbreviate the word year?
The usual abbreviation for year is yr., with yrs. for more than one. In charts and finance terms, a single y is common, as in 30y for a thirty-year period.
Is it yr or yr. with a period?
Both are seen. Formal American writing tends to use the period, while labels, tables and texts often skip it. Choose one style and stick with it.
How do you abbreviate years old?
Write y/o, yo or yrs. old. A medical or school form may simply say "Age (yrs.)" and want only the number.
What does YYYY mean on a form?
It is a placeholder that asks for the year in four digits. YY asks for just the last two digits.
Should I use yrs. on a résumé?
It is fine in a compact skills or experience list, such as "Bookkeeping, 6 yrs." In full sentences in a cover letter, spell out years.