Military Time Converter
Convert between 12-hour AM/PM time and 24-hour military time. Type in either box — the other updates instantly.
12-hour clock
24-hour clock
Quick reference chart
| 12-hour | 24-hour | 12-hour | 24-hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 AM | 00:00 | 12 PM | 12:00 |
| 1 AM | 01:00 | 1 PM | 13:00 |
| 2 AM | 02:00 | 2 PM | 14:00 |
| 3 AM | 03:00 | 3 PM | 15:00 |
| 4 AM | 04:00 | 4 PM | 16:00 |
| 5 AM | 05:00 | 5 PM | 17:00 |
| 6 AM | 06:00 | 6 PM | 18:00 |
| 7 AM | 07:00 | 7 PM | 19:00 |
| 8 AM | 08:00 | 8 PM | 20:00 |
| 9 AM | 09:00 | 9 PM | 21:00 |
| 10 AM | 10:00 | 10 PM | 22:00 |
| 11 AM | 11:00 | 11 PM | 23:00 |
How the conversion works
For AM times, the hour stays the same — except 12 AM, which becomes 00. For PM times, add 12 to the hour — except 12 PM, which stays 12. Minutes never change. That single pair of exceptions (the two 12s) is the entire trick, and it is why the chart above is worth a glance until it clicks.
Frequently asked questions
Why is 12 AM midnight and not noon?
The 12-hour clock counts down toward 12, not up from it: 11 AM is followed by 12 PM (noon), and 11 PM by 12 AM (midnight). Think of 12 as the "zero hour" of each half of the day — 12 AM starts the morning hours, 12 PM starts the afternoon hours. In 24-hour time there is no confusion: midnight is 00:00 and noon is 12:00.
Who uses military time?
Armed forces worldwide use it to avoid AM/PM ambiguity, and so do aviation, hospitals, emergency services, railways, and meteorology. Many countries use the 24-hour clock for everyday life — it is the standard written format across most of Europe, Asia, and Latin America.
How do I convert PM times to military time?
Add 12 to the hour for PM times between 1 PM and 11 PM: 3 PM becomes 15:00, 9 PM becomes 21:00. The two exceptions are 12 AM (midnight → 00:00) and 12 PM (noon → 12:00, unchanged). AM times from 1 to 11 keep the same number, just padded to two digits.
How do you pronounce military time?
Each digit is spoken separately. 06:30 is "zero six thirty" (or "oh six thirty"), 14:00 is "fourteen hundred", and 00:00 is "zero hundred". The word "hours" is often added at the end in formal use, e.g. "fourteen hundred hours".
Is 24:00 a valid military time?
Midnight is written 00:00 in the 24-hour clock. You will sometimes see 24:00 used to mean the very end of a day (e.g. a shop closing at 24:00 on Friday), but for a timestamp, 00:00 is the correct form. This converter always outputs 00:00 for midnight.
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