Military Time Converter

How to use the Military Time Converter

1. To read a military time, type it in the left box, for example 1730 or 17:30.
2. To convert a regular time, type it in the right box and choose AM or PM.
3. Read the answer below each box, including how the time is usually said out loud.
4. Use the chart for a quick look at every hour of the day.

How it works

Military time, also called 24-hour time, counts the hours of the day from 00 to 23 instead of repeating 1 to 12 twice. Midnight is 0000, noon is 1200, and 5:30 in the afternoon is 1730. It's used by the armed forces, hospitals, airlines and much of the world because there's no confusion between morning and evening.

To convert from 24-hour to 12-hour time: hours 01–11 are AM and stay the same; 12 is noon (PM); hours 13–23 are PM, so subtract 12; and 00 is 12 midnight (AM). To go the other way: add 12 to PM hours from 1 to 11, use 00 for 12 AM, and keep 12 for 12 PM.

Spoken military time usually uses "hundred" for whole hours: 0800 is "zero eight hundred" and 1500 is "fifteen hundred." Other times are read as two pairs: 1730 is "seventeen thirty" and 0545 is "zero five forty-five."

Frequently asked questions

Is midnight 0000 or 2400?
Both are used. 0000 marks the start of a day and 2400 the end of the previous day, so "2400 on Monday" and "0000 on Tuesday" are the same moment. Most schedules use 0000.

What is 1300 in regular time?
1300 is 1:00 PM. For any hour from 13 to 23, subtract 12 and add PM.

Do you say "hours" after military time?
Sometimes, especially in the military ("fourteen hundred hours"). In everyday use people often just say "fourteen hundred."

Is 12:00 PM noon or midnight?
12:00 PM is noon (1200) and 12:00 AM is midnight (0000). This mix-up is exactly why many professions prefer 24-hour time.