Introduction
Military time uses a 24-hour clock instead of the 12-hour clock most people see every day. Instead of AM and PM, it counts hours from 0000 (midnight) all the way to 2359 (one minute before the next midnight). This system is used by the armed forces, hospitals, airlines, and emergency services because it removes any confusion between morning and evening hours.
This military time calculator lets you convert between military time and standard 12-hour time in seconds. Type in a four-digit military time like 1430, and the tool will show you the 12-hour result (2:30 PM). Or enter a regular time like 6:45 AM, and it will give you the military version (0645). You also get the 24-hour clock format, a spoken pronunciation guide, and an analog clock face so you can see the time at a glance.
Whether you need to read a work schedule, coordinate across time zones, or just learn how the 24-hour clock works, this converter does the math for you — fast and free.
How to Use Our Military Time Calculator
Enter a time in either military format or standard 12-hour format. The calculator will instantly convert it and show you the result in military time, 24-hour clock time, 12-hour standard time, and how to say it out loud.
Military Time: Type a four-digit number between 0000 and 2400 into the Military Time field. For example, type 1430 for 2:30 PM or 0800 for 8:00 AM.
Standard 12-Hour Time: Type the hour and minutes into the 12-Hour Time field, like 8:15. Then pick AM or PM from the dropdown menu next to it.
Swap: Press the Swap button to switch which field you are typing in. This clears the other field so you can start a new conversion in the opposite direction.
Convert: Press the Convert button to run the conversion. You can also press Enter on your keyboard while typing in either time field.
Clear: Press the Clear button to erase all fields and start over from scratch.
What Is Military Time?
Military time is a way to tell time using 24 hours instead of 12. Instead of splitting the day into AM and PM, military time counts from 0000 (midnight) all the way to 2359 (one minute before the next midnight). This removes any confusion between morning and night hours.
How Military Time Works
The first two digits stand for the hour, and the last two digits stand for the minutes. There is no colon between them. For example, 0830 means 8:30 AM, and 2045 means 8:45 PM. Hours from 0000 to 1159 cover the AM side of the day. Hours from 1200 to 2359 cover the PM side.
How to Convert Military Time to Standard Time
For any hour 1200 or less, the time is nearly the same as standard time. Just add a colon and use AM. For example, 0915 becomes 9:15 AM. For any hour above 1259, subtract 12 from the hour and use PM. For example, 1430 becomes 2:30 PM because 14 minus 12 equals 2.
How to Convert Standard Time to Military Time
For AM times, keep the hour the same and remove the colon. Add a leading zero if the hour is less than 10. So 7:05 AM becomes 0705. For PM times, add 12 to the hour. So 3:30 PM becomes 1530 because 3 plus 12 equals 15. The two special cases are 12:00 AM (midnight) = 0000 and 12:00 PM (noon) = 1200.
How to Say Military Time Out Loud
Each digit in the hour is spoken on its own, followed by the minutes and the word "hours." For example, 0800 is said as "Zero Eight Hundred Hours," and 1415 is said as "Fourteen Fifteen Hours." When the minutes are between 01 and 09, you add the word "zero" before the number, like "Zero Nine Zero Five Hours" for 0905.
Military Time vs. 24-Hour Clock
Military time and the 24-hour clock show the same hours, but they look a little different. Military time is written as four digits with no colon, like 1630. The 24-hour clock uses a colon, like 16:30. The 24-hour clock is common in most countries around the world, while military time is mainly used by the U.S. Armed Forces, emergency services, hospitals, and aviation.
Who Uses Military Time?
Military time is used by every branch of the U.S. military — Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. It is also the standard in hospitals and healthcare to avoid medication errors, in law enforcement for accurate report writing, in aviation for flight schedules, and in emergency dispatch centers. Any field where a mix-up between AM and PM could cause serious problems tends to use military time.