What Is Military Time?

Military time is the convention of timekeeping in which the day is divided into 24 hours. It is also known as the 24-hour clock. Within this system, the day runs from midnight to midnight, from 0 to 23. Today, it is the most widely used time format in the world.

Why Is It Called Military Time?

Military time is a way of measuring the time used by the military and other organizations that need to be precise about timekeeping.

How Does Military Time Work?

As the day is approximately 24 hours long, on the military time clock, the day begins at midnight – 0000 in military time – and ends at 2359.

How Do You Read Military Time?

First of all, remember that the military clock runs from 0000 (zero-zero-zero-zero hours) to 2359 (twenty-three hundred fifty-nine hours). To tell the hour, you need to read in hundreds rather than thousands. For instance, zero nine hundred is how you read 9 AM, and twenty-one hundred is how you read 9 PM. For minutes, just use the numbers. Finally, append the word "hours". For more examples, check the military time converter.

Does Military Time Use Minutes?

Yes, military time uses minutes. To read minutes, just read the numbers. For instance, 0333 can be read as zero-three hundred thirty-three hours.

Does Military Time Have a Colon?

No. The hour is always followed by the minutes. For example, 9:00 PM would be written as 2100 hours.