How to Read Military Time (with a Quick Chart)
Military time explained simply: how to convert 24-hour time to AM/PM, how to say it out loud, and a chart for every hour.
Military time counts the hours of the day from 00 to 23 instead of starting over at 12. Once you know one rule, you can convert any time in your head.
The one rule
If the hour is 13 or higher, subtract 12 and it's PM. So 1500 is 3 PM, and 2119 is 9:19 PM. Hours from 01 to 11 are the same as AM time, 12 is noon, and 00 is the midnight hour.
Saying it out loud
| Written | Said | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| 0600 | zero six hundred | 6:00 AM |
| 0915 | zero nine fifteen | 9:15 AM |
| 1200 | twelve hundred | 12:00 PM |
| 1730 | seventeen thirty | 5:30 PM |
| 2119 | twenty-one nineteen | 9:19 PM |
| 0000 | zero hundred (midnight) | 12:00 AM |
Going the other way
For PM times, add 12 to the hour: 4:45 PM becomes 1645. For times between midnight and 1 AM, write 00: 12:20 AM becomes 0020. Morning times just get a leading zero: 7:05 AM becomes 0705.
Why people use it
There's no chance of mixing up AM and PM, which is why the military, hospitals, airlines and most of the world outside the US use 24-hour time.
Use the military time converter to check any time, or switch the online clock to 24-hour mode by turning off 12-hour.