How to Write Military Time – Everybody has to write Military Time and Date time at some point in their lives. The procedure is very straightforward and simple to execute.. It’s not a big deal, but it can be confusing for a beginner. If you’ve just joined the military or soon will start this version of training application application, please read the article thoroughly.
Military time is a way to tell time with 24 hours, where a day starts at 0 hours and ends at 24 hours. This is different from the 12-hour clock we most commonly use in the United States. The 12-hour clock restarts midday at 1:00 pm, while the military clock keeps counting up midday to 1300 hours and beyond. You can see in the picture how the watch is formatted differently to accommodate all 24 hours instead of just 12.
Table of Contents
Purpose of Military Time
Military time is used because it avoids the confusion between A.M. (morning hours) and P.M. (evening hours). We have all been there, accidentally setting our alarm for 7:00 P.M. instead of 7:00 A.M, only to be late to an important interview or work. With military time, we have no confusion because the numbers never repeat themselves. For example, 0700 hours can only mean 7:00 in the morning because military time does not have 7:00 at night. 7:00 at night would be 1900 hours.
How to Write Military Time
Military Time: What You Need to Know
Just like a 12-hour digital clock, military time is always displayed in four digits. The first two digits represent the hour and the last two digits represent the minutes. 0000 (said “zero-hundred”) is midnight, and 1200 (said “twelve-hundred”) is noon. So far, so good.
Anything between 0001 and 1159 is basically “a.m.” time. For example, 0100 (said “zero, one-hundred”) converts into 1 a.m. and 0730 (said “zero, seven-thirty”) converts into 7:30 a.m. Pretty straightforward, huh?
Anything between 1201 and 2359 is basically “p.m.” time. The “p.m.” hours usually give people more trouble, but always remember that 1300 (said “thirteen-hundred”) converts into 1 p.m. Therefore, 1400 converts into 2 p.m., 1500 converts into 3 p.m., and so on and so on.
Below is a time conversation chart courtesy of Marine Military Academy in Harlingen, Texas. Best of all, MMA will teach you how to easily convert military time into civilian time without having to memorize the chart!
Conversation Chart
24-Hour Clock (Military Time): 12-Hour Clock (Civilian Time)
- 0000: Midnight
- 0100: 1 a.m.
- 0200: 2 a.m.
- 0300: 3 a.m.
- 0400: 4 a.m.
- 0500: 5 a.m.
- 0600: 6 a.m.
- 0700: 7 a.m.
- 0800: 8 a.m.
- 0900: 9 a.m.
- 1000: 10 a.m.
- 1100: 11 a.m.
- 1200: Noon
- 1300: 1 p.m.
- 1400: 2 p.m.
- 1500: 3 p.m.
- 1600: 4 p.m.
- 1700: 5 p.m.
- 1800: 6 p.m.
- 1900: 7 p.m.
- 2000: 8 p.m.
- 2100: 9 p.m.
- 2200: 10 p.m.
- 2300: 11 p.m.
A Quick Trick: Subtract 12
This trick will help you with the “p.m.” hours. Here we go!
The 24-hour clock says 2200. If you want to know what it converts to on the 12-hour clock, SUBTRACT 12 from 22. It gives you 10 … 10 p.m! Was that easy or what?
Try another!
A drill instructor says the time is “sixteen-hundred.” If you want to know what 1600 converts to on the 12-hour clock, SUBTRACT 12 from 16. It gives you 4 … 4 p.m.!
Another Quick Trick: Add the Hour
Here is another trick to help you with the “p.m.” hours.
Your Swedish grandfather will arrive at your local airport at 4 p.m., and you would like to give him the military time so he is not confused.
If you want to know what 4 p.m. converts to on the 24-hour clock, ADD 4 to 12. It gives you 16 … 1600!
Try one more!
If you want to know what 10 p.m. converts to on the 24-hour clock, ADD 10 to 12. If give you 22 … 2200!
Military Time Comparisons
In comparing military time to the 12-hour clock most of us are used to, the first 12 hours in a day stay roughly the same, just written a bit differently. For example, 10:00 A.M. (in the morning) is written as 1000. Military time typically does not use a colon (:) to separate the hours and minutes; they are just written together. The first two numbers in military time tell you the hour while the last two numbers tell you the minutes. So, if you want to use 10:35 A.M., you would write 1035 and say ten thirty five. Some branches of the military use the term hours after the time, saying ten thirty five hours. Military time always uses four numbers, so fill in blanks with zeroes. For example, 6:00 A.M. would be written 0600, not just 600 or 6.
Afternoon hours are where the major changes occur when compared to the 12-hour clock. Using the 12-hour clock, we would say the hour after midday is 1:00 P.M. Military time states this is 1300, or thirteen hundred. 4:43 in the afternoon would be 1643, which would be said sixteen forty-three hours.
12-hour vs. 24-hour system
A disadvantage of using the 12-hour system (6:30 a.m./p.m.) is that the abbreviations a.m. and p.m. are needed to emphasize exact time. Confusion can result if these abbreviations are read or heard incorrectly. In contrast, confusion is unlikely in the 24-hour system (with 06:30 for 6:30 a.m., and 18:30 for 6:30 p.m.).
Thus, the 24-hour system is generally preferred in military, hospital, research, and transit settings, where confusion between a.m. and p.m. could result in dangerous or expensive mistakes. In scientific writing as well, where clarity is important, the 24-hour clock is generally preferred over the 12-hour clock.EXAMPLES
- At 14:35, the cells began to multiply.
- The first meteorite was detected at 04:33.
- Prepare for debriefing at 2030 hours.
Conclusion
Time can be tricky. Americans use a 12-hour clock for telling time, but if you’re reading this on the Web, you are probably using the 24-hour world clock. Confusion can arise when you have to write down or type out an exact military time – particularly if it is with the minutes included. But there is no need to worry.