How to Read 24-Hour Time
To read 24-hour time, treat the first two digits as the hour and the last two digits as the minutes. Hours 00 through 11 are AM. Hour 12 and hours 13 through 23 are PM.
Direct answer
If the hour is 13 or higher, subtract 12 and add PM. For example, 18:30 is 6:30 PM. If the hour is 00, read it as 12 AM.
Step-by-step rule
00:00 to 00:59: read as 12:00 AM to 12:59 AM. For example, 00:30 is 12:30 AM.
01:00 to 11:59: keep the hour and add AM. For example, 07:45 is 7:45 AM.
12:00 to 12:59: keep 12 and add PM. For example, 12:30 is 12:30 PM.
13:00 to 23:59: subtract 12 from the hour and add PM. For example, 21:30 is 9:30 PM.
Common 24-hour time examples
How to say 24-hour time aloud
In everyday speech, 18:30 is often read as "eighteen thirty" or converted to "six thirty PM." In military contexts, 1830 military time may be read as "eighteen thirty hours."
For public-facing schedules, choose the format your audience expects. For international schedules, the 24-hour clock can reduce confusion.