Days of the week in English: names, abbreviations and how to memorize them

Learn to write and speak the days of the week correctly in English. This guide brings together the names of the days, pronunciations, common abbreviations and practical tips for memorizing - as well as examples of use in emails and conversations. Ideal for those who organize meetings, write dates in full or want to avoid confusion between American and British formats.

1. Names of the days of the week and pronunciation

List of words

• Monday
• Tuesday - Tuesday
• Wednesday
• Thursday - Thursday
• Friday
• Saturday
• Sunday

Important: the names of the days always start with a capital letter in English.

Approximate pronunciations:

• Monday [ˈmʌndeɪ] - man-dei
• Tuesday [ˈtjuːzdeɪ] - tchu-zdei
• Wednesday [ˈwenzdeɪ] - uênz-dei
• Thursday [ˈθɜːzdeɪ] - thêrz-dei
• Friday [ˈfraɪdeɪ] - frai-dei
• Saturday [ˈsætədeɪ] - sa-tar-dei
• Sunday [ˈsʌndeɪ] - san-dei

Common abbreviations

• Monday: Mon. / Mo.
• Tuesday: Tues. / Tue. / Tu.
• Wednesday: Wed. / We.
• Thursday: Thurs. / Thu. / Th.
• Friday: Fri.
• Saturday: Sat. / Sa.
• Sunday: Sun. / Su.

In calendars and emails, it is common to use a period after the abbreviation (e.g. Mon.).

Dates and order (USA vs. UK)

In the American format, the order is usually: weekday, month day, year. In the British format the order is: weekday, day month year. Example for "August 25, 2021":

2. Tips for memorizing

Associating with planets

Traditionally, the days of the week have been related to stars and planets: Sunday → Sun, Monday → Moon, Tuesday → Mars, Wednesday → Mercury, Thursday → Jupiter, Friday → Venus, Saturday → Saturn. This connection helps to remember the origins of the names.

Origin in the names of gods

Some days come from the names of gods (e.g. Tuesday from Týr/Tiw, Thursday from Thor, Friday from Freya). Understanding these stories can make memorization easier.

Learning with music

Simple songs for children are great for remembering the sequence of the days. An example of a verse in English (easy to sing):

3. How to say it correctly in sentences

Use of the preposition "on"

When mentioning a specific day, we usually use on (e.g. on Wednesday).

To indicate periodicity, use every (e.g. every Wednesday).

this / next / last

To talk about a specific day relating to the present: this Thursday (this Thursday), next Thursday (next Thursday) and last Thursday (last Thursday). In these cases, you don't normally use "on" before this/next/last.

by vs until

by indicates time (a point in time). until indicates duration (until a moment). Compare:

4. Examples of use in emails

When listing a date in emails, many add the abbreviation of the day in brackets for clarity:

Conclusion

Knowing how to write and speak the days of the week correctly in English avoids misunderstandings in meetings, invitations and messages. Use abbreviations when appropriate, choose the date format according to the audience (US vs UK) and practice with songs or associations to make it easier to remember.

If you like, I can generate a revision table with all the abbreviations and pronunciations or a short exercise for you to practise - let me know which you prefer.