Use era for a broad period whose identity is shaped by a defining feature, such as the Victorian era or the digital era.
Use era for a broad period whose identity is shaped by a defining feature, such as the Victorian era or the digital era.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| The meeting had a five-minute era of silence. | The meeting had five minutes of silence. |
| The Victorian error changed Britain. | The Victorian era changed Britain. |
| The era happened at 3 p.m. | The event happened at 3 p.m. |
Use era informally for a themed phase of a person, brand, artist, or community, especially when the tone is playful or pop-cultural.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| I am in my breakfast era for ten minutes. | I am in a breakfast mood. |
| She entered her kindness error. | She entered her kindness era. |
| The jacket is from my blue era yesterday afternoon. | The jacket is from my blue phase. |
Use era in phrases such as Common Era or Christian era when discussing how dates are counted.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| The Common Era is one day in January. | The Common Era is a system for numbering years. |
| The Christian era began in the twenty-first century. | The Christian era began with the dating of years from Christ's birth. |
| BCE means before the Common error. | BCE means before the Common Era. |
Use era for large formal divisions of Earth's history, such as the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic eras.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| The Jurassic era came after the Mesozoic era. | The Jurassic period is part of the Mesozoic era. |
| The Paleozoic era lasted one afternoon. | The Paleozoic era lasted hundreds of millions of years. |
| The Victorian era is a geologic era. | The Victorian era is a historical era. |
Use era for a meaningful span with a defining character, and keep lowercase era separate from uppercase ERA abbreviations.
Era is confused with error, applied to moments too short to count as eras, or mixed with uppercase ERA abbreviations.
From Late Latin aera, a starting point for reckoning time, from Latin aes, money or counters used in calculation.
What does era mean in history?
Era means a broad period marked by events, people, technologies, or ways of life that distinguish it from other periods.
What does a personal era mean?
In informal use, a personal era is a phase of life or identity associated with a theme, style, or habit.
Are era and period the same?
Era usually suggests a more distinctive or recognized phase, while period can mean almost any stretch of time.
What is the Common Era?
The Common Era is a system for numbering years, usually written CE, paired with BCE.
What is a geologic era?
A geologic era is a major division of Earth's time, below an eon and above a period.
Is baseball ERA part of this word?
No. ERA for earned run average is an uppercase abbreviation and should be treated separately from lowercase era.
Where does era come from?
Era comes from Late Latin aera, tied to reckoning time from a chosen starting point.
What is a common mistake with era?
A common mistake is writing error instead of era, or using era for a moment too brief to be a meaningful span.