Military Time Converter
Convert between standard 12-hour AM/PM time and 24-hour military time format instantly. Includes a complete conversion table and common military time examples.
Enter your values above to see the results.
Tips & Notes
- ✓Military time uses no colon and no AM/PM — 1430 means 2:30 PM, not 14:30. When saying it aloud, say fourteen thirty, not 1430.
- ✓Midnight is 0000 (or 2400 for end of day), noon is 1200. The ambiguous 12:00 in 12-hour format becomes unambiguous in military time.
- ✓To convert PM times mentally: add 12 to hours above 12. 3:00 PM = 1500. 9:45 PM = 2145. For AM times below 10, add a leading zero: 7:00 AM = 0700.
- ✓International aviation, military operations, and hospital shift schedules use 24-hour time globally to eliminate AM/PM confusion across time zones.
- ✓The NATO phonetic alphabet pairs with military time in communications — always state time in full four digits: zero-seven-thirty (0730), not seven-thirty.
Common Mistakes
- ✗Treating 12:00 PM (noon) as military 1200 but then writing 12:30 PM as 0030 — noon is 1200, and 12:30 PM is 1230, not 0030 (which is 12:30 AM).
- ✗Converting 12:00 AM (midnight) as 1200 — midnight is 0000 in military time, not 1200. The day starts at 0000 (midnight) and 1200 is noon.
- ✗Forgetting the leading zero for early morning hours — 8:45 AM is 0845, not 845. Written military time is always 4 digits.
- ✗Adding 12 to AM hours — only PM hours (except 12 PM) require adding 12. 8:00 AM is 0800, not 2000. 2000 is 8:00 PM.
- ✗Assuming military time is only used in the US military — 24-hour time is the international standard for aviation (ICAO), scientific notation, transportation, and healthcare worldwide. The US civilian clock is the exception globally, not the rule.
Military Time Converter Overview
Military time (also called 24-hour time) expresses all hours of the day as a four-digit number from 0000 to 2359, eliminating the AM/PM ambiguity of the standard 12-hour clock. It is the global standard for aviation, international shipping, military operations, healthcare, and any environment where a 1:00 PM/1:00 AM confusion could have serious consequences.
The conversion rules:
12-hour to 24-hour: AM hours → same digits (except 12 AM = 0000) | PM hours → add 12 (except 12 PM = 1200)
EX: 3:45 PM → 3 + 12 = 15 → 1545 | 12:00 AM (midnight) → 0000 | 12:30 PM (noon) → 1230 | 8:20 AM → 0820Complete military time conversion reference:
| 12-Hour | Military | Spoken As | 12-Hour | Military | Spoken As |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 0000 | Zero hundred | 12:00 PM | 1200 | Twelve hundred |
| 1:00 AM | 0100 | Zero one hundred | 1:00 PM | 1300 | Thirteen hundred |
| 2:00 AM | 0200 | Zero two hundred | 2:00 PM | 1400 | Fourteen hundred |
| 3:00 AM | 0300 | Zero three hundred | 3:00 PM | 1500 | Fifteen hundred |
| 4:00 AM | 0400 | Zero four hundred | 4:00 PM | 1600 | Sixteen hundred |
| 5:00 AM | 0500 | Zero five hundred | 5:00 PM | 1700 | Seventeen hundred |
| 6:00 AM | 0600 | Zero six hundred | 6:00 PM | 1800 | Eighteen hundred |
| 7:00 AM | 0700 | Zero seven hundred | 7:00 PM | 1900 | Nineteen hundred |
| 8:00 AM | 0800 | Zero eight hundred | 8:00 PM | 2000 | Twenty hundred |
| 9:00 AM | 0900 | Zero niner hundred | 9:00 PM | 2100 | Twenty-one hundred |
| 10:00 AM | 1000 | Ten hundred | 10:00 PM | 2200 | Twenty-two hundred |
| 11:00 AM | 1100 | Eleven hundred | 11:00 PM | 2300 | Twenty-three hundred |
| Field | Why 24-Hour Time | Example Use |
|---|---|---|
| Aviation (worldwide) | Eliminates AM/PM errors in flight operations | Departure 1435Z (UTC 24-hr) |
| Military (US and global) | Combat operations require unambiguous time | Assault at 0300 local |
| Healthcare (hospitals) | Medication timing errors can be fatal | Administer at 1400, not 2 PM |
| International shipping | Coordinates across multiple time zones | ETA 0630 UTC |
| Train schedules (Europe) | Public transport clarity | Departure 17:42 |
| Scientific logging | Unambiguous timestamp records | Recorded at 23:47:12 |
Frequently Asked Questions
For AM times: keep the same hours, just use 4 digits (8:30 AM = 0830). Exception: 12:00 AM (midnight) = 0000, and 12:30 AM = 0030. For PM times: add 12 to the hour (3:45 PM = 3+12 = 15, so 1545). Exception: 12:00 PM (noon) = 1200, and 12:45 PM = 1245. The minutes never change — only the hour format differs.
If the military time is 0000–0059: it is 12:00–12:59 AM. If 0100–1159: remove leading zero, it is AM. If 1200–1259: it is 12:00–12:59 PM (noon hour). If 1300–2359: subtract 12 from the hour, it is PM. Example: 1845 → 1845 − 1200 = subtract 12 from 18 → 6:45 PM. Example: 0715 → 7:15 AM.
Zulu time (Z) is the military and aviation designation for UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) — the global time standard with no time zone offset. 1430Z means 2:30 PM UTC, regardless of where you are. When aviation uses Zulu time, all international flight plans, ATC communications, and weather reports are synchronized to a single reference time, eliminating confusion across time zones. Zulu corresponds to London time in winter (UTC+0) and is 1 hour behind London time in summer (BST = UTC+1).
Yes — hospitals, clinical records, and medication schedules almost universally use 24-hour time to prevent AM/PM errors. A medication prescribed twice daily at 8 AM and 8 PM becomes 0800 and 2000 in medical records. The potential consequences of AM/PM confusion (administering a medication at 2:00 AM instead of 2:00 PM) make 24-hour notation a patient safety standard. Most electronic health record (EHR) systems default to 24-hour time for timestamps.
Most countries use 24-hour time in official, professional, and public contexts, while some also use 12-hour time in casual speech. The United States, Canada, Australia, and a few others predominantly use the 12-hour AM/PM system in civilian life. Virtually all other countries use 24-hour time for public schedules, official documents, and everyday communication. Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East all primarily use 24-hour notation — the US 12-hour system is a global minority convention.
Military time is spoken by reading the four digits in pairs: 0800 is zero eight hundred, 1345 is thirteen forty-five, 2200 is twenty-two hundred. The digit 9 is spoken as niner (not nine) in military and aviation to prevent confusion with the German word nein in international radio communication. Midnight (0000) is zero hundred hours. Noon (1200) is twelve hundred hours. Non-round times like 1427 are spoken as fourteen twenty-seven.