How military time works
Military time is simply the 24-hour clock. Instead of restarting at 12 twice a day and labelling each half with AM or PM, it counts the hours straight through from 0000 at midnight to 2359 at the last minute of the day. Because every hour has its own number, there is no ambiguity: 1800 can only mean six in the evening, never six in the morning.
The conversion rule has two halves. For morning (AM) times, the hour stays the same — you just write it with two digits and drop the colon, so 7:45 AM becomes 0745. The one exception is 12 AM (midnight), which becomes 0000. For afternoon and evening (PM) times, you add 12 to the hour, so 2:30 PM becomes 1430 and 11:15 PM becomes 2315. The exception there is 12 PM (noon), which stays 1200. Minutes never change.
Military time chart (full)
| 12-hour | 24-hour (military) |
|---|---|
| 12:00 AM (midnight) | 0000 |
| 1:00 AM | 0100 |
| 2:00 AM | 0200 |
| 3:00 AM | 0300 |
| 4:00 AM | 0400 |
| 5:00 AM | 0500 |
| 6:00 AM | 0600 |
| 7:00 AM | 0700 |
| 8:00 AM | 0800 |
| 9:00 AM | 0900 |
| 10:00 AM | 1000 |
| 11:00 AM | 1100 |
| 12:00 PM (noon) | 1200 |
| 1:00 PM | 1300 |
| 2:00 PM | 1400 |
| 3:00 PM | 1500 |
| 4:00 PM | 1600 |
| 5:00 PM | 1700 |
| 6:00 PM | 1800 |
| 7:00 PM | 1900 |
| 8:00 PM | 2000 |
| 9:00 PM | 2100 |
| 10:00 PM | 2200 |
| 11:00 PM | 2300 |
Reference note: 0000 and 2400 both denote midnight. 0000 marks the start of a day and is the standard form; 2400 is occasionally used for the end of a day. This converter normalises 2400 to 0000.
Frequently asked questions
- What is military time?
- Military time is the 24-hour clock, where hours run from 0000 (midnight) to 2359 instead of repeating 1 to 12 twice a day. It removes the need for AM and PM, so 1430 is unambiguously the afternoon.
- How do I convert to 24-hour time?
- For AM times keep the hour and write it with two digits (9:05 AM → 0905); 12 AM becomes 0000. For PM times add 12 to the hour (2:30 PM → 1430); 12 PM stays 1200.
- What is 2 PM in military time?
- 2 PM is 1400. You add 12 to the PM hour (2 + 12 = 14), so 2:00 PM is written 1400 and spoken "fourteen hundred".
- What is 0000 vs 2400?
- Both mean midnight. 0000 is the start of a day and is the standard, preferred form; 2400 is sometimes used for the end of a day. This converter normalises 2400 to 0000.
- How do you say military time?
- Read hours and minutes as numbers. On-the-hour times use "hundred": 0900 is "oh nine hundred", 1400 is "fourteen hundred". With minutes, 1430 is "fourteen thirty" and 0905 is "oh nine oh five".
- Why is military time used?
- Militaries, hospitals, aviation and emergency services use the 24-hour clock because it is unambiguous — with no AM or PM there is no way to confuse 6 in the morning with 6 in the evening.