24 Hour Clock
A dial that turns once a day
This dial runs once a day rather than twice. Midnight sits at the bottom, noon at the top, and the long hand creeps round a single full turn between them — so a glance tells you not just the time but where you are in the day.
The digits underneath read in 24-hour form, from 00:00 to 23:59, and the table beneath the clock shows the same instant in UTC and four reference cities.
Why 24-hour notation exists
Writing 14:30 instead of 2:30 pm removes a whole category of mistake. There is no am or pm to drop, no ambiguity about whether a 12 means noon or midnight, and no need to say “in the afternoon” to be understood.
It is the civil standard across most of Europe, Latin America and Asia, and the working standard in aviation, medicine, the military, rail timetables and computing almost everywhere else, including countries that use the 12-hour clock socially.
The awkward corners are the two ends. Midnight is written 00:00 at the start of a day and 24:00 at the end of one, which are the same instant on different dates — a distinction that matters on a rota or a contract. And 12:00 is noon, not midnight, which is the single most common misreading of the 12-hour clock.
Converting between the two
To convert from a 12-hour reading: leave morning times alone but pad them to two digits, so 9:05 am becomes 09:05. For afternoon and evening, add twelve, so 7:40 pm becomes 19:40. The two exceptions are 12 am, which is 00:00, and 12 pm, which is 12:00.
Going the other way, subtract twelve from anything above 12:59 and add pm. 21:15 becomes 9:15 pm; 00:30 becomes 12:30 am.
The whole site can be switched between the two notations from the Settings panel in the header, and every clock, table and countdown follows.
Questions people ask
What is a 24-hour clock?
A clock that numbers the hours 0 to 23 in one continuous run, so each hour of the day has one unique label and there is no am or pm to attach.
Is 12:00 noon or midnight?
In 24-hour notation 12:00 is always noon. Midnight at the start of the day is 00:00, and midnight at the end of a day may be written 24:00.
How do I convert 7 pm to 24-hour time?
Add twelve: 7 pm is 19:00. Morning times stay the same but are padded to two digits, so 7 am is 07:00.
What is 00:30?
Half past midnight — the same instant as 12:30 am.
Why is it called military time in the United States?
Because the US armed forces adopted it for unambiguous orders. Most of the world simply calls it the 24-hour clock, and much of Europe and Asia uses it in ordinary life.
Do people say the times out loud?
Usually as two numbers: 14:30 is “fourteen thirty”. Speakers of English often still say “half two in the afternoon” socially while writing 14:30 on a schedule.
Which countries use it day to day?
Most of Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia. The 12-hour clock dominates in the United States, Canada, Australia, the Philippines and, socially, in the UK and Ireland.
Why do timetables and hospitals prefer it?
Because a dropped am or pm on a train departure or a drug chart is a serious error, and 24-hour notation makes that mistake impossible to write.
Does the dial on this page show a full day?
Yes. The long hand makes one complete turn in twenty-four hours, with midnight at the bottom and noon at the top, so the shape of the day is visible at a glance.
How does this relate to UTC?
UTC is nearly always written in 24-hour form. The table under the clock shows the same moment in UTC alongside four reference cities.
Can I switch the rest of the site to 24-hour time?
Yes — turn off the 12-hour option in the Settings panel and every clock, table and countdown follows.
What about 24-hour dates in filenames and databases?
The ISO 8601 form, such as 2027-03-14T14:30, pairs a 24-hour time with a year-month-day date. It sorts correctly as plain text, which is why software uses it.
Where to go next
Keep 24 hour clock to hand — and if you need a different place rather than a different tool, current time around the world covers every country.
- World Clock — pick a country or city and read its clock, offset and daylight saving rules
- Time zone converter — turn a time in one place into the same instant in another
- Time zone map — every offset from UTC−12 to UTC+14 and who keeps it
- Hourglass clock — the hour, the day or the minute drawn as sand
- World Clock — the current time in every country, territory and US state