How to read military time
Military time is the 24-hour clock, written as four digits with no colon. Learn four rules and you can read any time on any chart, watch, or radio call.
Rule 1: always four digits
The first two digits are the hour, 00 to 23. The last two are the minutes, 00 to 59. If the hour is under 10, it gets a leading zero. 7:05 AM is 0705, never 705.
Rule 2: mornings look almost the same
From 1:00 AM to 11:59 AM, write the time with four digits and drop the AM. 9:30 AM is 0930. 11:45 AM is 1145.
Rule 3: after noon, add 12
For any PM time from 1:00 PM on, add 12 to the hour. 5:30 PM: 5 + 12 = 17, so 1730. Going the other way, subtract 12 from any hour 13 or higher. 2115: 21 − 12 = 9, so 9:15 PM.
Rule 4: midnight and noon are the traps
Midnight is 0000. Noon is 1200. Any time in the 12 AM hour starts with 00: 12:20 AM is 0020. Any time in the 12 PM hour starts with 12: 12:20 PM is 1220.
You may see 2400 used for the end of a day, as in a shift that runs "until 2400." It is the same moment as 0000 on the next day. Clocks never show it.
How to say it out loud
| Time | Say | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1730 | seventeen thirty hours | Hour, then minutes, then "hours" |
| 0800 | zero eight hundred hours | On the hour, say "hundred" |
| 0815 | zero eight fifteen hours | Say the leading zero before 1000 |
| 1705 | seventeen zero five hours | Minutes 01–09 use "zero," not "oh" |
| 0000 | zero hundred hours | Midnight |
On the radio, times are read one digit at a time with the zone letter: 1730Z is "one seven three zero Zulu." See Zulu time for why.
Common mistakes
- Writing 0730 PM. Military time never uses AM or PM. 7:30 PM is 1930.
- Adding 12 to the noon hour. 12:45 PM is 1245, not 2445.
- Forgetting the leading zero. 915 should be 0915.
- Calling midnight 1200. That is noon. Midnight is 0000.
Lock it in
Reading the rules gets you halfway. Take the 60-second drill a few times and you will stop doing the math in your head. Keep the full chart handy until then.
Quick answers
Do you say "hours" after military time?
In formal US military speech, yes: "seventeen thirty hours." In everyday use, many people drop it and just say "seventeen thirty."
Is there a colon in military time?
No. Military time is written as four digits with no colon: 1730, not 17:30. Civilian 24-hour time in Europe often uses the colon.