Military Time Converter
Enter a time in 12-hour AM/PM form to get military (24-hour) time, or type a 24-hour time such as 1730 to get it back in AM/PM. A full conversion chart lists all 24 hours with how to say each one. Free, no sign-up.
12-hour to military time
Military time
09:00
Military time to 12-hour
Full conversion chart
| Military time | 12-hour time | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00 | 12:00 AM | zero hundred |
| 01:00 | 1:00 AM | zero one hundred |
| 02:00 | 2:00 AM | zero two hundred |
| 03:00 | 3:00 AM | zero three hundred |
| 04:00 | 4:00 AM | zero four hundred |
| 05:00 | 5:00 AM | zero five hundred |
| 06:00 | 6:00 AM | zero six hundred |
| 07:00 | 7:00 AM | zero seven hundred |
| 08:00 | 8:00 AM | zero eight hundred |
| 09:00 | 9:00 AM | zero nine hundred |
| 10:00 | 10:00 AM | ten hundred |
| 11:00 | 11:00 AM | eleven hundred |
| 12:00 | 12:00 PM | twelve hundred |
| 13:00 | 1:00 PM | thirteen hundred |
| 14:00 | 2:00 PM | fourteen hundred |
| 15:00 | 3:00 PM | fifteen hundred |
| 16:00 | 4:00 PM | sixteen hundred |
| 17:00 | 5:00 PM | seventeen hundred |
| 18:00 | 6:00 PM | eighteen hundred |
| 19:00 | 7:00 PM | nineteen hundred |
| 20:00 | 8:00 PM | twenty hundred |
| 21:00 | 9:00 PM | twenty-one hundred |
| 22:00 | 10:00 PM | twenty-two hundred |
| 23:00 | 11:00 PM | twenty-three hundred |
How to say military time
Read the four digits as hours, then minutes. On-the-hour times end in "hundred": 0900 is zero nine hundred, 1300 is thirteen hundred. The word "hours" is often added afterwards, as in "zero nine hundred hours".
With minutes, just read both pairs: 0915 is zero nine fifteen, 2145 is twenty-one forty-five. In strict military radio usage each digit can be spoken individually, and 0 is read as "zero", never "oh".
How to Use the Military Time Converter
- 1. To get military time, use the first box. Enter the hour (1–12), the minute (0–59) and choose AM or PM. The 24-hour time appears at once, written as hours, a colon and minutes, such as 21:45.
- 2. To get AM/PM, use the second box. Type a 24-hour time with or without the colon — 1730, 17:30 or 930 all work — and read the 12-hour result.
- 3. To look up a time, scan the chart. It lists every hour from 00:00 to 23:00 with its 12-hour form and the way it is spoken.
- 4. Mind the limits. The second box takes values from 00:00 to 23:59, so 2400 is not accepted; write midnight as 0000.
How the Conversion Works
Military time is the 24-hour clock. Hours run from 00 to 23, so there is no AM or PM, and the hour keeps counting after noon instead of starting again at 1. For the afternoon and evening, add 12 to the hour; for the morning, leave it alone. Only the two hours that begin with 12 are tricky:
| 12-hour time | Military time | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 00:00 | Midnight is hour 00, not 12 |
| 12:30 AM | 00:30 | The half hour after midnight |
| 9:00 AM | 09:00 | Morning hours stay the same; add a leading zero |
| 12:00 PM | 12:00 | Noon stays 12 |
| 1:05 PM | 13:05 | Add 12 to 1 PM |
| 9:45 PM | 21:45 | Add 12 to 9 PM |
| 11:59 PM | 23:59 | The last minute of the day |
To go the other way, subtract 12 from any hour above 12 and mark it PM. Hour 00 becomes 12 AM, hours 01 to 11 are AM, hour 12 is 12 PM, and 13 to 23 are 1 PM to 11 PM. Because the converter outputs a colon, 9:00 AM appears as 09:00; in the strictly military written form the colon is dropped, giving 0900.
How to Say Military Time
Read the four digits as two pairs. On-the-hour times end in hundred: 0900 is "zero nine hundred", 1300 is "thirteen hundred", and 0000 is "zero hundred". With minutes, read both pairs: 0915 is "zero nine fifteen" and 2145 is "twenty-one forty-five". "Hours" is often added afterwards, as in "zero nine hundred hours". In strict military radio usage each digit can be spoken individually, and 0 is said as "zero", never "oh".
Zulu time
A trailing Z, as in 1730Z, marks Zulu time — Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). This tool converts the clock notation only; it does not shift between time zones. To change zones, use the Time Zone Converter.
Which Tool Do You Need?
| You want to… | Use |
|---|---|
| Switch a clock time between AM/PM and 24-hour | This converter |
| Add or subtract hours and minutes, or find the time between two clock times | Time Calculator |
| Show a time in other cities | Time Zone Converter |
| Turn an epoch number into a date and time | Unix Timestamp Converter |
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is military time?
- Military time is the 24-hour clock, with hours numbered 00 to 23 and no AM or PM. It is used by armed forces, hospitals, aviation, emergency services and transport timetables because every time has only one reading.
- What is 12:00 AM in military time?
- 12:00 AM, midnight, is 00:00 (written 0000). 12:00 PM, noon, is 12:00 (1200). Mixing up these two is the most common conversion mistake, because the 12 on a 12-hour clock maps to hour 00 in the morning and hour 12 at midday.
- How do I convert PM times to military time?
- Add 12 to the hour for 1:00 PM through 11:59 PM, so 1:00 PM is 13:00 and 9:30 PM is 21:30. Times from 12:00 PM to 12:59 PM keep the hour 12. AM times keep their hour, except that 12 AM becomes 00.
- How do you say military time out loud?
- Read the four digits as hours, then minutes: 0900 is zero nine hundred, 1330 is thirteen thirty and 2145 is twenty-one forty-five. Times on the hour end in hundred, and the word hours is often added.
- Is midnight 0000 or 2400?
- 0000 is the start of a new day and 2400 is sometimes used for the end of the day that is finishing, so both name the same instant. Most software and this converter use 00:00, and the converter rejects 24:00 as input.
- Why do the colons differ from what I see written elsewhere?
- Strict military writing is four digits with no colon, such as 1730. Civilian 24-hour clocks and ISO 8601 put a colon between hours and minutes (17:30). They are the same time; the converter shows the colon form and accepts either.