📅Date & Time

Relative Time Patterns

Human-readable relative time strings like "2 hours ago".

Explanation

Relative time is often more useful for UI/UX than absolute timestamps for recent events.

Examples

Past

Output

5 minutes ago

Future

Output

in 3 days

Just now

Output

just now

Code Examples

JavaScript (Intl)

const rtf = new Intl.RelativeTimeFormat('en', { numeric: 'auto' });
console.log(rtf.format(-2, 'day')); // "2 days ago"
console.log(rtf.format(1, 'month')); // "next month"

💡 Tips

Use "just now" for very recent events
Switch to absolute dates after 24-48 hours
Localize strings for non-English users

⚠️ Common Pitfalls

Avoid being too precise (e.g., "5 minutes and 23 seconds ago")
Don't use relative time for future deadlines without absolute backup