To display a label such as “5 minutes ago” in WordPress, use PHP’s human_time_diff() to calculate the duration, then wrap it in a translated phrase. For localized calendar dates, use wp_date() with a Unix timestamp. In block-editor JavaScript, the @wordpress/date package provides corresponding date helpers.
Display a relative date in a PHP theme or plugin
human_time_diff() returns a duration such as “5 minutes,” not the complete phrase “5 minutes ago.” Supply that phrase yourself and make it translatable. For a post timestamp, the general pattern is:
$timestamp = get_post_time( 'U', true, $post );
echo esc_html(
sprintf(
esc_html__( '%s ago', 'your-text-domain' ),
human_time_diff( $timestamp )
)
);Replace your-text-domain with your theme or plugin’s text domain. This example requests the post time in GMT using the U format, which represents a Unix timestamp. Check the timestamp helper and timezone assumptions for your particular code path; human_time_diff() expects Unix timestamps for both its $from and $to arguments. If you omit $to, it uses the current server time, time(). See the WordPress function reference.
The example escapes the rendered string for HTML output and uses a translation function for the wrapper phrase. WordPress’s helper also supplies translated duration units, including their singular and plural forms. Avoid hard-coding a word such as “minutes” around the result: the returned unit varies with elapsed time.
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What the relative-time result means
human_time_diff() calculates the absolute difference between its two timestamps and rounds it into a unit bucket. The buckets progress from seconds to minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years. The output is therefore a concise approximation, not an exact elapsed-time measurement.
Because the helper uses an absolute difference, its duration alone does not say whether the timestamp is in the past or future. The “%s ago” wrapper is appropriate when the date is known to be in the past. If your interface can receive future dates, determine the direction separately and choose wording that reflects it rather than labeling every result “ago.” The function reference documents the arguments and output behavior.
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Show an absolute date in the WordPress site timezone
Relative labels are compact, but they do not tell readers the calendar date or time. For a localized absolute date, use wp_date() with a true Unix timestamp:
echo esc_html( wp_date( get_option( 'date_format' ), $timestamp ) );wp_date() localizes the date and defaults to the WordPress site timezone. You can use a format based on the site’s date settings, as above, or provide another PHP date format appropriate to the display. See the WordPress wp_date() reference.
Do not treat date_i18n() as though its timestamp parameter has the same semantics as wp_date(). Its legacy behavior expects a value that includes a timezone offset added to the Unix timestamp. WordPress describes wp_date() as the newer replacement without those legacy quirks. See the WordPress date_i18n() reference.
Choose between relative and absolute display
A useful interface can show relative time for recent entries and switch to a localized date and time for older ones. This gives readers quick context for fresh activity while retaining calendar context when “weeks ago” or “months ago” is less informative. WordPress core uses this kind of split in its privacy-request table: for a non-empty timestamp less than one day old, it displays a translated “%s ago” label; otherwise it displays a localized date and time. That is an example of core behavior, not a rule every theme or plugin must follow. The example is in the WP_Privacy_Requests_Table reference.
Where precision matters, expose a comprehensible text label and include the absolute date or time as well. This is a usability recommendation; the cited API references do not prescribe a particular HTML element or accessibility standard for relative dates.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Use WordPress date helpers in block-editor JavaScript
For editor-side interfaces, the @wordpress/date package offers JavaScript date functions. Its handbook documents dateI18n for localized formatting, similar to PHP’s wp_date(), and humanTimeDiff() for human-readable time differences. The documentation describes date inputs in the WordPress timezone. See the WordPress @wordpress/date package handbook.
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Do not assume a JavaScript date value can be passed around like a PHP Unix timestamp. The JavaScript helpers accept different input forms, including Moment objects, Date objects, strings, and numbers; verify the data shape where your code gets the value. For a server-rendered theme or plugin, PHP’s human_time_diff() is the direct option; for block-editor UI, use the package’s documented helpers.
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