Our clients
Our professional editing and proofreading services are trusted by household names in business and education.
Experienced US and UK editors in your academic field.
Read our independently verified reviews on TrustPilot.
Secure, reliable and confidential service.
June 9, 2020 | Blog, Learning Center
Writing about centuries and decades can be surprisingly complex. Style guides often offer conflicting rules, and even experienced writers struggle with hyphens, capitalisation, apostrophes, and formatting. This guide simplifies the process and shows you how to refer to historical time periods clearly, accurately, and in line with academic style. Whether you’re writing about the 19th century or the 1990s, you’ll find practical examples, common pitfalls, and tips for consistent usage across your paper.
Century | Years | Century | Years | Century | Years |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st century | 1–100 | 8th century | 701–800 | 15th century | 1401–1500 |
2nd century | 101–200 | 9th century | 801–900 | 16th century | 1501–1600 |
3rd century | 201–300 | 10th century | 901–1000 | 17th century | 1601–1700 |
4th century | 301–400 | 11th century | 1001–1100 | 18th century | 1701–1800 |
5th century | 401–500 | 12th century | 1101–1200 | 19th century | 1801–1900 |
6th century | 501–600 | 13th century | 1201–1300 | 20th century | 1901–2000 |
7th century | 601–700 | 14th century | 1301–1400 | 21st century | 2001–2100 |
A century is 100 years. For example, 1601–1700 can be called the 1600s or the seventeenth century. This dual naming can cause confusion.
Style guides vary:
Use full words if the century begins a sentence.
Always use numerals for specific years:
India gained independence in 1947.
Use numerals without apostrophes: 1990s not 1990’s.
AP/APA prefer numerals; Chicago/MLA allow words if consistent. For clarity, prefer four-digit numerals:
The 1970s was the decade of disco.
The most popular sitcom of the 1990s was Friends.
Never use the 1900s to refer to the first decade of the 20th century. Instead, write:
The first decade of the 20th century witnessed increasing tension among European nations.
Apostrophes are acceptable only in informal contractions: class of ’99.
Rule | Example |
---|---|
Use a hyphen when the phrase acts as a compound adjective | Martin Luther King Jr. was a famous 20th-century activist. |
Do not use a hyphen when the phrase acts as a noun | The Ming Dynasty rose to power in the fourteenth century. |
Use a hyphen with the modifier mid (an abbreviation) | mid-nineteenth century, mid-twentieth-century authors |
Use a hyphen with early or late only if they precede a noun | early-twentieth-century movements artistic movements of the early twentieth century |
Incorrect | Correct |
---|---|
nineteenth century (used for 1901–2000) | nineteenth century (for 1801–1900) |
the 1950’s | the 1950s |
early-16th century | early sixteenth century (as a noun phrase) early-sixteenth-century (as an adjective) |
15th century art | 15th-century art |
Mixing forms: 12th century and twelfth century | Use either consistently: 12th century or twelfth century |
Submit your paper for proofreading today. Get an instant quote on our pricing page.
For further details, consult Garner’s Chicago Guide to Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation.
Ordering our professional editing and proofreading service is quick and easy, and we guarantee the quality of our work.
Our professional editing and proofreading services are trusted by household names in business and education.