Military Time Converter

Military time uses a 4-digit format (HHMM) on a 24-hour clock. The first two digits represent hours (00–23) and the last two represent minutes (00–59). To read it: if the hour is 00–12, it's AM and you read it directly (0730 = 7:30 AM, 1200 = 12:00 PM). If the hour is 13–23, subtract 12 to get PM time (1430 = 2:30 PM, 2000 = 8:00 PM). Military time is spoken aloud as 'fourteen hundred hours' (1400), 'oh eight thirty' (0830), or 'twenty-two fifteen' (2215).

1500 military time = 3:00 PM. To convert: 1500 − 1200 = 3:00 PM. 1500 hours is spoken as 'fifteen hundred hours.' Other common afternoon military times: 1300 = 1:00 PM. 1400 = 2:00 PM. 1600 = 4:00 PM. 1700 = 5:00 PM (end of standard workday). 1800 = 6:00 PM.

0000 (zero-hundred hours or 'oh-oh-hundred hours') represents midnight — the beginning of a new day. It's the same moment as 2400 (the end of the previous day). In practice, 0000 is used for midnight at the start of a day, while 2400 is used to mark the exact end of a date (e.g., a contract expiring 'at 2400 on December 31'). The first minute of a new day is 0001.

Military operations require absolute clarity about time — a misunderstanding of AM vs PM could have life-or-death consequences. The 24-hour clock eliminates this ambiguity entirely. 0200 is unambiguously 2 AM; 1400 is unambiguously 2 PM. Beyond the military, 24-hour time is used in aviation (for the same clarity reasons), railways and transportation, hospitals and medical settings, and as the standard in most countries outside the US, UK, and Canada.

Quick rules: For 0000–0059: add 12 and call it AM (0030 = 12:30 AM). For 0100–1159: same number, add AM (0900 = 9:00 AM). For 1200–1259: same number, call it PM (1230 = 12:30 PM). For 1300–2359: subtract 12 and add PM (1700 − 12 = 5:00 PM). Example: 1845 → 1845 − 1200 = 645 → 6:45 PM. 2200 → 2200 − 1200 = 1000 → 10:00 PM.