What time is afternoon? Morning, afternoon, evening and night

Checking your clock…

Afternoon is from 12:00 PM (noon) until about 5:00 PM. Morning is the AM hours before noon, evening runs from about 5 to 9 PM, and night covers the late hours until early morning.

Parts of the day by clock time

Part of day	Clock time	In everyday use	AM or PM
Morning	12:00 AM (midnight) – 11:59 AM	Usually means from sunrise or about 5 AM until noon	AM
Afternoon	12:00 PM (noon) – about 5:00 PM	From noon until early evening	PM
Evening	about 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM	From the end of the working day until bedtime	PM
Night	about 9:00 PM – 4:59 AM	From bedtime until early morning	PM, then AM after midnight

AM and PM in one line

AM is everything from midnight to 11:59 in the morning; PM is everything from noon to 11:59 at night. So morning is always AM, and afternoon and evening are always PM. More on the AM and PM page.

Good morning, good afternoon or good evening?

Say good morning until noon, good afternoon from noon until about 5 or 6 PM, and good evening after that. Good night is a goodbye, not a greeting.

Questions people ask

What time is this afternoon?

Afternoon starts at 12:00 PM (noon) and runs until roughly 5 PM, when evening begins. So "this afternoon" means between noon and about 5 PM today.

Is a.m. or p.m. in the morning?

AM is the morning. AM (ante meridiem) covers midnight to 11:59 in the morning; PM (post meridiem) covers noon to 11:59 at night.

Is 12 PM noon or midnight?

12 PM is noon. 12 AM is midnight, the start of the day.

What time does evening start?

There is no official rule, but most people say evening starts around 5 or 6 PM, after the working day, and lasts until about 9 PM.

Is 5 PM afternoon or evening?

5 PM is on the border. Many style guides call 12–5 PM afternoon and after 5 PM evening; in daily speech either is fine.