Which Months Have 31 Days? The Knuckle Rule and the Rhyme
Which months have 31 days? Seven, and July and August are both 31-day months, side by side. It is the one place in the year where the long months do not alternate.
Days in July 2026
- Days in July 2026 July has 31 days in every year. Only February varies.
- 31 days
- In weeks
- 4 weeks and 3 days
- Weekdays (Monday to Friday) Public holidays are not deducted.
- 23 days
- Weekend days
- 8 days
- First day
- Wednesday, July 1
- Last day
- Friday, July 31
- Weekdays that occur five times The 3 days beyond 28 add a fifth, starting from the weekday of the 1st.
- Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
- Count of each weekday
- Sun 4, Mon 4, Tue 4, Wed 5, Thu 5, Fri 5, Sat 4
- Is 2026 a leap year 2026 is not divisible by 4, so it is not a leap year.
- No, 365 days
- Day of the year
- Days 182 to 212 of 365
- Days left in 2026 after July ends From August 1 to December 31 inclusive.
- 153 days
| Month | Days | Weekdays | Weekend days | Starts on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31 | 22 | 9 | Thursday |
| February | 28 | 20 | 8 | Sunday |
| March | 31 | 22 | 9 | Sunday |
| April | 30 | 22 | 8 | Wednesday |
| May | 31 | 21 | 10 | Friday |
| June | 30 | 22 | 8 | Monday |
| July | 31 | 23 | 8 | Wednesday |
| August | 31 | 21 | 10 | Saturday |
| September | 30 | 22 | 8 | Tuesday |
| October | 31 | 22 | 9 | Thursday |
| November | 30 | 21 | 9 | Sunday |
| December | 31 | 23 | 8 | Tuesday |
| Whole year | 365 | 261 | 104 | Thursday |
How the How Many Days in a Month works
The seven 31-day months are January, March, May, July, August, October and December. The four 30-day months are April, June, September and November. February is the odd one out with 28, or 29 in a leap year.
There are two standard ways to remember this.
The knuckle rule. Make a fist and count the months across your knuckles and the dips between them, starting with January on the first knuckle. Every month that lands on a knuckle has 31 days; every month in a dip is shorter. January knuckle, February dip, March knuckle, April dip, May knuckle, June dip, July knuckle (the last knuckle on that hand), then start again at the first knuckle with August, which is why July and August are both long. September dip, October knuckle, November dip, December knuckle. Using both fists side by side gives the same result if you count the gap between the two index knuckles as nothing.
The rhyme. "Thirty days hath September, April, June and November. All the rest have thirty-one, excepting February alone, which has twenty-eight days clear, and twenty-nine in each leap year." The rhyme names the four short months directly, which is the faster lookup if you only need to know about one month.
Why the pattern breaks at July and August is a matter of Roman calendar history. For counting, the long months alternate from January to July, then the alternation restarts at August.
The practical consequence is that two adjacent months add up to 62 days only twice a year: July plus August, and December plus January. A rent or subscription prorated by the day, or a "two months" notice period counted in days, is longest across those pairs. And a 31-day month always contains three weekdays that occur five times, so the working-day count of a 31-day month varies between 21 and 23 depending on where the weekend falls.
How Many Days in a Month FAQ
Which months have 30 days?
April, June, September and November. Every other month except February has 31.
Why do July and August both have 31 days?
Because the alternation of long and short months restarts at August. On the knuckle rule, July is the last knuckle on one hand and August the first knuckle when you start again.
How does the knuckle trick work?
Count the months across your knuckles and the dips between them. Months on a knuckle have 31 days; months in a dip have 30, except February, which has 28 or 29.
How many months have 31 days?
Seven: January, March, May, July, August, October and December. Together they hold 217 of the year's 365 days.