Month – Number of Months in a Year
reviewed by Jessica Kaminski
Updated on October 28, 2025
Today, we’re going to explore the notion of “month” with Brighterly. This unit of time is something you’ll encounter in everyday life. There are 12 months in a year, and you’ll become familiar with them quickly.
Additionally, you’ll also get to learn what is month, the seasons it can correlate with, what the number month of August is, as well as numbers for other months, and more. We’ll also include practice test questions and solved problems so you can verify your knowledge!
What is a month?
A month is a unit of time measurement in the Gregorian calendar. The number of months in the year is 12, and although they don’t last the exact same amount of time, they are overall similar in their calendar months numbers of days.
Months are measured this way because of moon phases, which are 29 ½ days. However, 365 is not divisible by 29 ½, so some months were made longer and some shorter.
How many months a year?
“How many months is a year?” is a common question. The answer is straightforward — there are 12 months in a year, and we’re teaching you each month in number. These month of the year numbers are:
- January
- February
- March
- April
- May
- June
- July
- August
- September
- October
- November
- December
Now, if someone asks, “What is the month number of June?”, you can confidently say it is 6.
What month is in the middle of the year?
The month in the middle of the year could be considered June or July. The middle of the year falls between these two months, so the answer to “What’s the month in the middle?” could be either.
Properties of month and year
Months are time measurements that fit into a year, meaning they have different properties.
First, let’s address the properties of a month. Months are made up of days and represent moon cycles (29 ½ days), so not all months have the same number of days. Here is an explanation of what number month is it in terms of days:
- January: 31
- February: 28 (29 on leap years)
- March: 31
- April: 30
- May: 31
- June: 30
- July: 31
- August: 31
- September: 30
- October: 31
- November: 30
- December: 31
Now, for properties of a year. A year is made up of 12 months and represents one Earth orbit of the sun. Years are also split into different seasons, corresponding with specific months.
Names and meanings of each month
Did you know the name of each month has a specific meaning? Every month is named after a Roman god, a famous Roman figure, an event, or a number:
- January: Janus (god)
- February: Februa (festival)
- March: Mars (god)
- April: aperire (Latin word)
- May: Maia (god)
- June: Juno (god)
- July: Julius Caesar (figure)
- August: Augustus (figure)
- September: seven (number)
- October: eight (number)
- November: nine (number)
- December: ten (number)
Seasons and their corresponding months
The seasons correspond with specific months. These are:
- Winter: December, January, February
- Spring: March, April, May
- Summer: June, July, August
- Autumn: September, October, November
Difference between month and year
The difference between a month and a year is their time periods. A month represents a set number of days, which can range between 28 and 31 days. A year represents a set number of months, which is 12 or 365 days.
How to define months in the calendar?
You can define months in the calendar in a number of ways, for example, by:
- the number of days in them (months in number form)
- the season they correspond with
- what they are named after
Significance of each month in a year
Months have different significance, depending on where you live. In the US, July is significant because of Independence Day, while December is significant because that’s when we celebrate Christmas.
Solved examples on months and years
Here are some solved example questions to help you understand how to tackle math challenges related to months.
Solved math task 1
Today is New Year’s Day, and it’s not a leap year. How many days until Independence Day?
Answer
| 185 days. |
Add up the days in January (31), February (28), March (31), April (30), May (31), and June (30), plus 4 days for July.
Solved math task 2
How many days are in a leap year?
Answer
| 366. |
There’s one more day in a leap year than in standard years.
Solved math task 3
It’s February, and the latest season of your favorite show starts in September. How many months will you wait?
Answer
| 7 months. |
Count the months from February to September: March, April, May, June, July, August, September.
Practice problems on months and years
Now, it’s your turn. Solve these practice problems on month numbers and definitions!
- It’s December 1st today, and your birthday is March 5th. How many days until your next birthday?
- You’re taking on a challenge to read a book a month for a year. How many books will you read by October?
- Which month has the fewest days, and why?
Conclusion
Now that we’ve covered month meaning, seasons, and month numbers, you know everything possible about the month of the year! So, it’s the right time to apply your knowledge of what a month is, its length, and the meaning behind its names in your everyday life and in math class.
Frequently asked questions on months and years
What is the definition of a month?
The definition of a month is the rough period of time it takes a moon phase to complete. There are 12 months of different lengths because a moon phase is roughly 29 ½ days, but 365 (days in a year) isn’t divisible by this number.
How many months are in a year?
There are 12 months in a year. All the months in a year are: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and December.
Why do we have 12 months in a year instead of 10 or 13?
We have 12 months in the year instead of 10 or 13 because this is how many moon phases occur in a year – aka the time it takes for the earth to orbit the sun once. This information is important for learning month numbers.
Why do some months have 30 days, others 31, and February 28 or 29?
Each month of year has a different number of days because 365 is not divisible by 29 ½ (the number of days in a moon phase). The months were given different days to align closely with this number.
What is a leap year, and why does it occur?
A leap year is a year with one extra day. This is added to February, making it 29 days. A leap year occurs because it takes 365 and ¼ days for the Earth to orbit the sun, so every four years, we add the four quarter days.
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