Seven months hold 31 days. Four hold 30. February gets 28, or 29 in a leap year. The 31-day months are January, March, May, July, August, October and December. April, June, September and November are the 30-day months. February is the only one that shifts. Two memory tools lock this in: the old rhyme and the hand-based knuckle method.

Quick Reference How Many Days in Each Month

Use this list as a cheat sheet until the mnemonics become second nature.

  • 31 days: January, March, May, July, August, October, December (7 months)
  • 30 days: April, June, September, November (4 months)
  • 28 or 29 days: February (28 in a common year, 29 in a leap year)

A common year totals 365 days. A leap year totals 366.

The Rhyme Thirty Days Hath September

One of the oldest ways to fix the 30-day months in your head is the rhyme. It starts: Thirty days hath September, April, June and November. The full version runs:

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November.
All the rest have thirty-one,
Save February, which has twenty-eight,
And in a leap year, twenty-nine.

Recite it now. That gives you the four 30-day months: September, April, June and November. The rhyme then states that every remaining month has 31 days, except February. Use it to recall which months have 31 days and which months have 30 days without reaching for a calendar.

The Knuckle Trick a Physical Mnemonic

How to Count Months on Your Hands

Make a fist. Your raised knuckles and the dips between them map directly onto the calendar.

  1. Make a fist with your left hand. Either hand works.
  2. Touch the knuckle of your index finger and say January. A knuckle means 31 days.
  3. Drop into the dip between the index and middle finger. Say February. A dip means a short month (28 or 29 days).
  4. Touch the knuckle of your middle finger. Say March. 31 days.
  5. Drop into the next dip, between middle and ring finger. Say April. 30 days.
  6. Touch the knuckle of your ring finger. Say May. 31 days.
  7. Drop into the dip between ring and pinky. Say June. 30 days.
  8. Touch the knuckle of your pinky. Say July. 31 days.
  9. Now move to the knuckle of your other hand's index finger. Say August. 31 days.
  10. Continue: dip (September) gives 30 days, knuckle (October) gives 31, dip (November) gives 30, knuckle (December) gives 31.

Every knuckle you land on is a 31-day month. Every dip is a 30-day month, except February. The only wrinkle is that July and August sit on consecutive knuckles because both have 31 days. December and January do the same across the year boundary.

Why the Hand Method Works

Counting on your hands gives you a physical anchor for the pattern. Raised knuckles signal the long months. The dips signal short ones. Practise three times and you will recall which months have 31 days and which months have 30 days in seconds.

Why February is Different

February is the outlier. It holds 28 days in a common year and 29 in a leap year, a consequence of ancient calendar reforms. The rhyme flags it: Save February, which has twenty-eight, and in a leap year, twenty-nine. The hand method shows February as a dip, but you must remember it is the only month that can be 28 or 29 days. No other month changes length.

Putting it All Together the 30 Days Hath September Rhyme and Knuckle Trick Combined

Use both tools together to reinforce the pattern. Do this quick drill.

  • Say the rhyme aloud: Thirty days hath September, April, June and November. That hands you the four 30-day months.
  • Then run the hand method to confirm: start at January (knuckle, 31), February (dip, 28/29), March (knuckle, 31), April (dip, 30), May (knuckle, 31), June (dip, 30), July (knuckle, 31), August (knuckle, 31), September (dip, 30), October (knuckle, 31), November (dip, 30), December (knuckle, 31).

Together they cover all twelve months. The rhyme handles the 30-day list. The hand method gives you a visual check for any month in the sequence.

Common Questions About Month Lengths

Are July and August the only consecutive 31-day months? Yes. July and August are the only two consecutive months that both have 31 days. December and January also both carry 31 days, but the year boundary separates them.

How many months have 31 days? Seven months: January, March, May, July, August, October and December.

How many months have 30 days? Four months: April, June, September and November.

Why is February so short? February lands at 28 days, or 29 in a leap year, because of historical calendar decisions. It is the only month whose length varies.