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Military Time Converter

Convert regular 12-hour time to military time, or military time back to AM and PM, and see how to say it.

Results

ItemValue
Military time runs from 0000 (midnight) to 2359. Some people write midnight at the end of a day as 2400.

Quick Answer

To convert to military time, keep morning hours as they are with a leading zero, and add 12 to afternoon hours. 2:30 PM becomes 1430, and 9:15 AM becomes 0915. Midnight is 0000 and noon is 1200. To go back, subtract 12 from hours 13 to 23 and add PM.

Last updated: 2 November 2026 ·How we calculate this: 24-hour clock conversion

Table of Contents

How This Military Time Converter Works

Type a time in either form. If it ends with AM or PM, the converter changes it to military time. If it has no AM or PM, it reads it as military time and changes it to the 12-hour clock. It also shows how the time is spoken.

Quick explanation: for PM hours from 1 to 11, add 12. For 12 AM, use 00.

  • Military time: four digits with no colon, such as 1430.
  • 24-hour clock: the same time with a colon, such as 14:30.
  • Accepted input: 2:30 PM, 2:30pm, 14:30 or 1430.

How to Use the Military Time Converter

  1. Type a time in the box, such as 2:30 PM or 1430.
  2. Add AM or PM if you are converting from regular time.
  3. Leave out AM and PM if you are converting from military time.
  4. Press Calculate.
  5. Read the military, 24-hour and 12-hour times, and how to say it.

Conversion Rules

  • 12 AM (midnight): 0000
  • 1 AM to 11 AM: same hour with a leading zero, such as 0700
  • 12 PM (noon): 1200
  • 1 PM to 11 PM: add 12, such as 1:00 PM = 1300
  • Back to 12-hour: for 1300 to 2359, subtract 12 and add PM

Key Terms

  • Military time: a 24-hour clock written with four digits and no colon.
  • 24-hour clock: a clock that counts hours from 00 to 23 instead of repeating 1 to 12.
  • AM and PM: ante meridiem (before noon) and post meridiem (after noon).
  • Zulu time: military name for UTC, the world time standard.

Worked Example

Convert 7:45 PM and 0530.

  • 7:45 PM: 7 + 12 = 19, so it is 1945, said "nineteen forty-five hours"
  • 0530: the hour is below 12, so it is 5:30 AM

Real-Life Examples

  • A nurse's chart: a dose at 10:00 PM is written as 2200.
  • A flight schedule: a departure at 0615 is 6:15 AM, and an arrival at 1840 is 6:40 PM.
  • A work shift: a shift from 1500 to 2330 runs from 3:00 PM to 11:30 PM, which is 8.5 hours.
  • Phone settings: switching a phone to 24-hour time shows 21:00 instead of 9:00 PM.

Military Time vs 24-Hour Time

  • Military time: four digits with no colon, such as 1430, often followed by "hours".
  • 24-hour time: the same clock with a colon, such as 14:30. Common in Europe and on phones.
  • 12-hour time: uses AM and PM, common in the US for everyday use.
  • The same time: 1430, 14:30 and 2:30 PM all mean the same moment.

Military Time Chart

Regular timeMilitary time24-hour
12:00 AM000000:00
1:00 AM010001:00
2:00 AM020002:00
3:00 AM030003:00
4:00 AM040004:00
5:00 AM050005:00
6:00 AM060006:00
7:00 AM070007:00
8:00 AM080008:00
9:00 AM090009:00
10:00 AM100010:00
11:00 AM110011:00
12:00 PM120012:00
1:00 PM130013:00
2:00 PM140014:00
3:00 PM150015:00
4:00 PM160016:00
5:00 PM170017:00
6:00 PM180018:00
7:00 PM190019:00
8:00 PM200020:00
9:00 PM210021:00
10:00 PM220022:00
11:00 PM230023:00

Where Military Time Is Used

  • Armed forces: to avoid confusion between AM and PM.
  • Hospitals and nursing: for medicine times and patient records.
  • Aviation and emergency services: often alongside UTC time.
  • Most of the world: the 24-hour clock is the everyday standard in many countries.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Writing 12 AM as 1200. Midnight is 0000. Noon is 1200.
  • Adding 12 to 12 PM. Noon stays 1200.
  • Using a colon in military time. Military style is 1430, while 14:30 is the 24-hour style.
  • Saying "fourteen thirty o'clock". Say "fourteen thirty" or "fourteen thirty hours".
  • Dropping the leading zero. 9:05 AM is 0905, not 905.

Frequently Asked Questions

1500.

12:00 AM, which is midnight.

"Eighteen thirty hours".

Both can mean midnight. 0000 starts a day and 2400 is sometimes used to end one, but 0000 is more common.

0030, said "zero zero thirty".

If the hour is 13 or more, subtract 12 and add PM. 1700 − 1200 = 5:00 PM.

Many do, to avoid mistakes between AM and PM in records and medicine schedules.

7:45 PM.

In the US, the 24-hour clock is mostly linked with the armed forces, so people call it military time. In many other countries it is simply the normal clock.

Add as normal, and if the result passes 2400, subtract 2400 for the next day. 2200 plus 3 hours is 0100.

Usually not. When seconds are needed, they are added after the minutes, such as 14:30:15 in 24-hour form.

References & Sources

SourceUsed ForLink
Wikipedia, 24-hour clock The 24-hour clock and military usage. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24-hour_clock
NIST, Time and frequency Standard units of time. https://www.nist.gov/time-distribution