what are the different ways to write time

Time of Day: How to Write Correctly

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Summary

1. To express exact time, use numerals with a.m. and p.m.

Instance

• The train leaves at 2:thirty p.m.

2. The abbreviations a.m. and p.thou. normally incorporate internal periods.

Example

• Course is from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.thou.

three. When the verbal time is not important, words may exist used. Whole hours are frequently followed by the term o'clock.

Examples

• Let's run into at two o'clock.
• The game starts at two xxx.
• I'll be done by one-half past 2.

4. In the 24-hour system (common in military, transit, and hospital settings), use numerals to limited the fourth dimension in hours and minutes, followed by the give-and-take "hours." When this word is omitted, a colon is generally used to split up hours from minutes.

Examples

• The railroad train leaves at 1430 hours.
• The railroad train leaves at fourteen:30.

5. Don't use expressions of time like in the morning and at night with a.m. and p.m. or with the 24-hour clock.

Examples

• The train leaves at 2:30 p.one thousand. in the afternoon.
• The train leaves at 14:30 in the afternoon.
• The railroad train leaves at 2:30 in the afternoon.

6. Don't use the number 12 earlier the words apex and midnight.

Case

• Nosotros slipped out the back door at 12 midnight.

Infographic: How to Write Exact and Judge Time

Tabular array of contents

1. Time of day
2. Numerals vs. words for time
3. A.k. and p.m.
   1. Noon and midnight: a.chiliad. or p.1000.?
4. O'clock
5. Quarter, half, whole hours
6. 12-hr vs. 24-hr organization
7. 24-hour clock
   1. Midnight: 00:00 or 24:00?
8. Infinite later on numerals for time
9. Fourth dimension zones
10. Time periods and duration
11. Time ranges
12. Units of time

Time of solar day

Time can be written using either the 12-hour or 24-hour system. The abbreviation a.yard. or p.thou., the word hours, or the term o'clock is generally used afterwards the number denoting the time. In informal communication, just the number is often sufficient to express time.

Examples

• The train leaves at 12:17 a.m.
• The meeting is at 0800 hours.
• The phone rings every day at nine o'clock.
• Farley finally woke upwards at 11 o'clock.
• He got to piece of work at iii in the afternoon.

Note

How fourth dimension of 24-hour interval is written is a affair of style rather than grammar. Cull a style advisable to your field, and follow information technology consistently throughout the document.

Various way manuals suggest dissimilar means to write the time. Discussed in this commodity are the major styles, along with examples.

Numerals vs. words for time

Use numerals with a.1000. and p.m. to emphasize exact time on the clock face. Also use numerals to specify fourth dimension using the 24-hour arrangement.

Examples

• Tumkin wakes up at 6 a.m. every mean solar day.
• The double-decker will arrive at 3:ten p.grand.
• Debriefing is at 1700 hours.

When the exact time is not of import, time is generally expressed in words instead of numerals. This is common in creative and breezy writing.

Examples

• Dejeuner volition be served at two o'clock.

  likewise ii o'clock

• Is information technology well-nigh 10?
• Poco works from ix to five.
• It was ten xx-v, and the bell hadn't rung yet.

To express time in quarter, half, or whole hours, without the abridgement a.m. or p.m., use words instead of numerals.

Examples

• The meeting starts at eleven thirty.
• The store will open up at half by eleven.
• We should be there by a quarter to 4 (or a quarter of four).

Note

Mode manuals differ in their guidelines on whether to use numerals or words for numbers. For example, while the AP Stylebook suggests using words for single-digit numbers and numerals for x and above, the Chicago Manual of Style recommends using words for two-digit numbers as well, and numerals from 100 onward. Choice a style, and follow it consistently.

A.m. and p.yard.

Employ a.m. and p.m. with numerals to refer to exact time. Note that the abbreviations a.m. (from the Latin dues meridiem, or "before midday") and p.g. (mail meridiem or "subsequently midday") are most often written as such: in lower instance with periods between the letters.

Examples

• Class starts at 9:30 a.m. every Wednesday.
• He worked steadily from ii to four p.m.
• The railroad train departs from Bratislava at 10:08 a.m. and arrives at Budapest at 4:19 p.k.

When capitalized, small majuscule letters (or small caps) are generally used, although this style is less common than lowercase letters.

Example

• You tin sing between nine:30 AM and 2:00 PM today.

Maintain consistency in showing both hours and minutes, and using numerals or words.

Examples

• Poor: Class is from x a.thousand. to 12:30 p.m.
  Better: Class is from 10:00 a.k. to 12:30 p.m.
• Poor: The show starts at vii:00 p.thousand. and ends at eleven in the dark.
  Ameliorate: The show starts at seven and ends at 11 in the night.
  Better: The show starts at vii p.chiliad. and ends at 11 p.m.

Annotation

In British English language, the abbreviations for the ii halves of the day are sometimes written without periods (or total stops). A period also sometimes replaces the colon betwixt hours and minutes: The train arrives at Paddington Station at 3.30 pm every day.

When a sentence ends in an abbreviation, don't add together another period. Withal, in questions, use a question marker as usual. If the abbreviation is within parentheses subsequently which the sentence should end, add another period.

Examples

• We tin deliver the couch to you by 4 p.m.
• Tin yous delight deliver the couch by 4 p.m.?
• We can deliver the couch this afternoon (by four p.m.

Caution

Don't use expressions of time like "in the morning time," "in the afternoon," and "at night" with a.m. and p.m.

Examples

• Incorrect:Poco arrived at two p.m. in the afternoon.

  Using p.g. already indicates that we're talking near a fourth dimension in the afternoon.

  Correct:Poco arrived at two p.m.
• Incorrect:The coming together will beginning at 9 a.m. tomorrow morn.
  Correct:The meeting will start at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Noon and midnight: a.m. or p.m.?

Apex is "12 p.thousand."; midnight is "12 a.m." Annotation that with the words noon and midnight, using the number "12" is unnecessary and considered poor style.

Examples

• The day starts at 12 a.m.

  midnight

• Delight ship your study by 12 p.m.

  noon

• The twenty-four hours starts at 12 midnight.

  The word "midnight" implies that it is 12 a.m. The numeral "12" is therefore redundant. Although such usage is common in speech, avoid it in writing.

• Delight send your written report by 12 apex.

O'clock

The term o'clock, which means "of the clock," may be used when the exact time is unimportant. Such usage is common and oftentimes preferred in everyday speech communication, creative writing, and informal communication. There is no space between the apostrophe and the word "clock."

Examples

• Oh no, is it three o'clock already?
• The bell rang at two o'clock.
• It'southward nine o'clock and still light out.

Either numerals or words may be used with o'clock. Way guides differ in their recommendations. The Chicago Transmission of Way, followed by academic and volume editors, recommends spelling out the number with o'clock. The AP Stylebook, used in American media and journalism, suggests using numerals.

Examples

• Chicago: It was iii o'clock in the afternoon when the clocks stopped.
• AP: It was iii o'clock in the afternoon when the clocks stopped.

Caution

When both hours and minutes are expressed, the term o'clock is omitted.

Example

• Incorrect: It'due south iv twenty o'clock.
  Correct: It's four 20.

To informally express the hour and the minute both, but employ numbers and omit o'clock. Or you can use numerals with a.m. or p.grand. (These abbreviations may exist omitted if it is obvious which half of the twenty-four hour period you lot're referring to.)

Examples

• Please be there by four xx-5.

or

• Please be there by four:25 p.m.

or

• Delight be there by iv:25.

Quarter, half, whole hours

In speech and informal writing, fourth dimension is often expressed in quarter, half, and whole hours.

Examples

• Information technology's a quarter to 4 (or a quarter of four).

  The commodity a is optional.

• Information technology was one-half past nine when the train finally arrived.
• The museum is open from nine to six on weekdays.

With whole hours, the term o'clock may or may not be used. Too, since a.m. and p.m. are non used, time expressions similar "in the morning" or "at nighttime" are advisable.

Examples

• The Durandians landed in Farley'south backyard at 9 o'clock on a Monday forenoon.

or

• The Durandians landed in Farley's lawn at nine in the forenoon terminal Mon.

12-hour vs. 24-hr system

Many countries express time using the 24-hour system instead of the 12-hour arrangement. The 24-hour system is also used when confusion between a.m. and p.grand. could issue in dangerous or costly mistakes—for example, in military settings, hospitals, research labs, airports, and train and charabanc stations.

Examples

• The siren rang at 0413 hours.

  That is, at 4:thirteen a.m.

• Departure is at 16:45.

  Clearer than "4:45," which could mean either morn or evening.

• The patient was in surgery from 11:00 to xiv:thirty.

24-hour clock

In general, to write time in the 24-hour system, omit the colon between hours and minutes, and follow the numerals for time with the discussion "hours."

Examples

• The invasion began at 0823 hours.

  Read aloud as "oh-eight-twenty-three hours" or "zero-8-twenty-three" (military).

• The train departs from Bratislava at 1008 hours and arrives at Budapest at 1619 hours.

  Read aloud as "ten-oh-eight" and "sixteen-nineteen."

A colon is used when the word "hours" is omitted.

Examples

• The invasion began at 08:23.
• The train leaves Bratislava at ten:08 and reaches Budapest at 16:19.

Caution

Fourth dimension expressions (apex, midnight, morning, afternoon, evening, night, etc.) are unnecessary in the 24-hr system.

Examples

• The train leaves Berlin at 0617 hours in the morning.

  The phrase "in the morning" is redundant, since information technology is already clear which part of 24-hour interval is being referred to.

• Information technology reaches Vienna at 14:45 in the afternoon.

Midnight: 00:00 or 24:00?

Both 00:00 and 24:00 refer to midnight. Utilise 0000 hours or 00:00 to refer to the start of a day. Use 2400 hours or 24:00 to bespeak the terminate of a given day.

Examples

• The operation will embark at 0000 hours on Jan sixteen, 2033 .

  the commencement of January 16

• Your commanding officer volition conduct a conference from 22:30 to 24:00, afterwards which the operation will commence.

  a conference at the end of the mean solar day

Space after numerals for fourth dimension

Regardless of whether y'all apply a.m./p.m., o'clock, or hours, always use a infinite after the numerals used to denote the time.

Examples

• Rita goes for a run at 6:15 a.m. every day.
• Maya woke up with a first at 5 o'clock in the morning.
• The concluding shuttle for Mars leaves at 0330 hours.

Time zones

Specify time zones only when necessary. Periods are not used with abbreviations for time zones.

Examples

• The telephone call begins at 10:xxx a.k. EST.
• I'll send you the report by v p.thousand. IST (7:30 p.thousand. SGT).
• The Durandians landed on World at 8:17 a.k. UTC on Oct 23, 2073.

When spelling a fourth dimension zone out, you may either capitalize or lowercase the words. The Chicago Manual of Style suggests using lowercase messages; the AP Stylebook suggests capitalization. Always capitalize proper nouns and proper adjectives (names of places or regions).

Examples

• All the time frames specified are in Pacific standard time.
• The train arrives at xiv:00 (central European time).
• The time shown on our website is eastern daylight time.

or

• Nosotros follow Pacific Standard Time.
• Is that 14:00 Fundamental European Fourth dimension?
• Is that Eastern Daylight Time?

Tip

The right term is daylight saving time, non daylight savings time.

Time periods and duration

You may use either words or numerals to speak of a duration or a time menses. In general, employ words for numbers until nine and numerals from 10 onward.

Examples

• This film is four hours long.
• We are going on a 12-day vacation.
• Could you lot expect v minutes, please?

In Chicago style, utilise words for ii-digit numbers also. Hyphenate ii-digit numbers.

Examples

• Our rent is paid for 30-1 days.
• This project will take at least xx-iv hours to complete.

Tip

To speak of elapsing, use for. To speak of a point in time, use since.

Examples

• Duration: We have been working on this for/since iii days.
• Point in time: We have been working on this for/since ix a.m.

Time ranges

Use from–to or betwixt–and to bear witness a range.

Examples

• Anita worked steadily from 2 to four p.m.
• Your guild will arrive betwixt 2 and 4 p.thousand. today.
• Rehearsal is from eight:00 to 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.

Ranges, including those signifying time, may also exist written using an en dash.

Examples

• The meeting is scheduled for two:00–three:xxx p.m.
• Rehearsal is 8:00–ix:thirty a.thou. tomorrow.
• The journey lasts iii–iv hours.

Circumspection

With the word from, use to, not an en dash. If you do apply an en dash, omit the word from.

Examples

• Incorrect: We are open from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. on weekdays.
• Correct: We are open up from 9 a.m. to 5 p.yard. on weekdays.
Correct: Nosotros are open up 9 a.one thousand.–5 p.m. (or nine–v) on weekdays.

Units of time

With abbreviated units of measurement, always apply numerals. In scientific and technical writing, use the SI symbols for units of time, which are h, min, and s (for hour, minute, and second). Periods are never used with SI units.

Examples

• Duration of the experiment: 3 h
• Lap time: 443 s
• Time taken: 4 min 43 due south

In nonscientific and nontechnical writing, units of time are often abbreviated to hr., min., and sec. A flow usually follows the unit. Utilize numerals instead of words with abbreviated units.

Examples

• Fourth dimension taken: 25 min.
• Project duration: nine hr. (or 9 hrs.)

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Source: https://editorsmanual.com/articles/time-of-day/

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