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Military Time Converter

Convert military (24-hour) time to 12-hour AM/PM time and back, see how the time is spoken, and look up every hour in a full 0000–2300 chart.

Convert a time
24-hour (1430, 14:30, 0005) or 12-hour with AM/PM (2:30 PM, 12 am). 2400 is accepted as the end of the day.

Read the guide How to Read Military Time

How to use the converter

Type a time in the Time box and press Convert. The tool works in both directions and decides from what you type:

  • A time with AM or PM (such as 2:30 PM, 9pm or 12:15 a.m.) is converted to military time.
  • A time without AM or PM (such as 1430, 14:30 or 0005) is read as military time and converted to the 12-hour clock.

The result shows the time in both forms and how it is usually spoken, for example "fourteen thirty hours". You can also type noon or midnight. The chart below the converter lists every hour of the day from 0000 to 2300 with its 12-hour equivalent.

How military time works

Military time counts the hours of the day from 00 to 23 and writes the time as four digits without a colon: the first two digits are the hour and the last two are the minutes. There is no AM or PM, because each hour of the day has its own number.

To convert from military time to the 12-hour clock:

  1. If the hour is 00, it is 12 AM (the hour after midnight).
  2. If the hour is 01 to 11, it is the same hour AM.
  3. If the hour is 12, it is 12 PM (noon).
  4. If the hour is 13 to 23, subtract 12 and add PM.

To go the other way, keep AM hours as they are (but 12 AM becomes 00) and add 12 to PM hours (but 12 PM stays 12).

Worked examples

  • 1430: the hour 14 is greater than 12, so 14 − 12 = 2, which gives 2:30 PM. It is spoken "fourteen thirty hours".
  • 0005: the hour 00 is the first hour after midnight, so it is 12:05 AM, spoken "zero zero zero five hours".
  • 9:45 PM: a PM hour gets 12 added, 9 + 12 = 21, which gives 2145.
  • 12:30 AM: the 12 AM hour is 00, which gives 0030.

How military time is spoken

The hour and the minutes are read as two numbers, followed by "hours". A full hour is read as "hundred": 0800 is "zero eight hundred hours" and 1900 is "nineteen hundred hours". Leading zeros are read as "zero", so 0905 is "zero nine zero five hours". Midnight at 0000 is often said as "zero hundred hours". In everyday speech many people say "oh" instead of "zero", and some drop the word "hours"; both are widely understood.

Good to know

  • Valid military times run from 0000 to 2359. The converter also accepts 2400, which some schedules use for the end of a day. It is the same moment as 0000 on the next day.
  • Three-digit entries are padded with a leading zero, so 930 is read as 0930.
  • Military time is the same as the 24-hour clock used in most of the world; the only difference is that the colon is usually left out.

Frequently asked questions

What is 1500 in military time?

1500 is 3:00 PM. Any hour from 13 to 23 is a PM hour: subtract 12 from the hour to get the 12-hour time.

Is midnight 0000 or 2400?

Midnight at the start of a day is 0000. Some schedules write 2400 for midnight at the end of a day, for example a shift that runs from 1600 to 2400. Both describe the same moment; 2400 on one day equals 0000 on the next.

How do you say 0800 in military time?

0800 is usually spoken as "zero eight hundred hours". Full hours use the word "hundred", so 1300 is "thirteen hundred hours".

What is 12 PM in military time?

12 PM is noon, which is 1200 in military time. 12 AM is midnight, which is 0000.