Australians generally say "February" by dropping the first 'r', pronouncing it as "Feb-u-ree" (FEB-yoo-ree), similar to how many British speakers do, rather than "Feb-roo-ary," although the latter is also understood and the spelling always remains "February". It's a common linguistic phenomenon where people avoid the sound of two 'r's close together, a process known as dissimilation.
“Feb-u-ree”. The rest of the months are pretty straightforward. They're just said as they're spelt.
(with a “ru” sound). Regardless of pronunciation, the month is always written “February” (and never Febuary).
In the United States, the most common pronunciation of the word February is “FEB-yoo-air-ee.” Both Merriam-Webster and American Heritage dictionaries consider the common pronunciation correct, along with the less common, more traditional standard “FEB-roo-air-ee.”
While dictionaries consider both pronunciations correct, the loss of the 'r' isn't reserved simply for the word February. People have been avoiding the pronunciation of the first 'r' when two of the letters are close to one another for at least 150 years if not longer.
The word for February in Latin was Februarius, and at that point in time every letter was pronounced, including both ⟨r⟩'s.
In British English, we often drop a syllable and say it with three: FEB-RU-RI! 🎤✨ Practise with these sentences: 📌 My birthday is in February.
It's meant to be FebRuary, where both Rs are pronounced, not Feb-yoo-airy.
The word "February" comes from Old French, which was spelled "fevrair." The French version didn't include that first "r." Additionally, while English did borrow the term from Latin—where it was spelled "Februarius" with that initial "r"—over time, speech has shaped how we pronounce it.
When it comes to legal documents, such as obtaining a passport or driver's license, the date February 29th is recognized as the official birthday for leaplings in most countries. However, some states in the U.S. allow the leapling to celebrate their birthday on either February 28th or March 1st on non-leap years.
FEB-ruh-ree. /ˈfɛbjᵿri/ FEB-yuh-ree.
And while summer tends to be hot everywhere, February is slightly cooler than January in most places, but not noticeably so. While average highs in coastal cities like Sydney and Melbourne average around 78°F (25°C), it's not unusual for them to experience heatwaves with temperatures of more than 100°F (37°C).
In Australia, the conventional sequence for dates is 'day month year'. Use this sequence when expressing dates in numerals and words.
Australia primarily uses British spelling, following conventions like "-our" (colour), "-re" (centre), and "-ise/-yse" (organise, analyse), but incorporates some Americanisms and has unique standards for certain words (like "program," "gram," "jail"). Always consult an Australian dictionary or style guide (like the Style Manual) for definitive guidance, especially using spell-check set to "English (Australian)".
The correct spelling is February, always with two "r's" (F-E-B-R-U-A-R-Y), even though many people pronounce it like "Febuary" by dropping the first "r" due to ease of pronunciation, a linguistic phenomenon called dissimilation. While "Febuary" is a common misspelling, the word originates from Latin Februarius, named for a Roman purification festival.
In ancient Rome, the month of February was known as Februarius, a term that has to do with purification. Februare is Latin for “to purify,” and februum describes a means of purification or an instrument used to purify. In short, February was the month of purification.
The /t/ has 4 different pronunciations: 1) a regular /t/ (take), 2) /t̬/ (like a 'd,' as in water), 3) glottal stop /ʔ/ (kitten) 4) become silent (winter).
Our planet takes approximately 365.25 days to orbit the sun once. It's that . 25 that creates the need for a leap year every four years. During non-leap years, aka common years – like 2025 – the calendar doesn't take into account the extra quarter of a day required by Earth to complete a single orbit.
April takes its name from the Latin word aperire, meaning 'to open' (just like flowers do in spring). Here's a beautifully detailed watercolour drawing of a vase of flowers by French artist Antoine Jules Pelletier. The Romans called the month Aprilis.
Every four years, something special happens in the calendar – February gains an extra day, making it 29 days long instead of the usual 28. This extra day is added to keep our calendar in sync with the Earth's movement around the Sun.