How to Read a Clock

Learning to read a clock is an easy skill that anyone can quickly pick up with a bit of practice. Analog clocks have a round face divided into segments, with hour and minute hands to indicate the time. Digital clocks simply show the hours and minutes in numeric form. For clocks with Roman numerals or military time, it may take a little extra effort to read. However, with persistence and practice, you'll be able to master it. Keep practicing, and reading the time will become second nature.

Learn the divisions on the clock face. The clock face is divided into 12 sections. At the top, you'll see the number '12.' To the right of '12,' you'll find the number '1.' Continue around the clock face, moving clockwise, with the numbers increasing from '1' to '12.'

• The numbers mark each of the main hours.
• The spaces between the numbers represent 5-minute intervals. Some clocks have smaller marks along the face to further divide these intervals.

Use the short hand to tell the hour. An analog clock has two hands: a short hand and a long hand. The short hand indicates the hour, pointing to the corresponding number for the time of day.

• For example, if the short hand points to '1,' it means it's approximately 1 o'clock.

Use the long hand to tell the minutes. Take the number the long hand points to and multiply it by 5 to calculate the minutes. When the long hand points to '12,' it's exactly on the hour. If the long hand points to a tick mark between numbers, count the ticks and add that to the minutes (multiply the number the long hand points to by 5). For example:

• If the long hand points to '3,' it means 15 minutes past the hour.
• If the long hand points to '12,' it's exactly on the hour. Just read the number the short hand points to.
• If the long hand is between '1' and '2,' look at the tick marks. For instance, if it points to the third tick after '1,' it means 8 minutes past the hour. (1 x 5 + the tick count).

Combine the hour and minute to tell the time. After you've determined the hour and minutes, you can now know the exact time. For example:

• If the short hand points to '1' and the long hand points to '12,' it's exactly '1 o'clock.'
• If the short hand points to '1' and the long hand points to '2,' it means '1:10' or '10 minutes past 1.'
• If the short hand points to '1' and the long hand is between '2' and '3,' it indicates around '1:12' or '12 minutes past 1.'

Distinguish between AM and PM. The time of day isn't indicated on the clock itself, so you need to know the specific time you are looking at. From midnight until noon the next day, it’s considered AM. From noon until midnight, it’s PM.

• For example, if it's AM and the short hand points to '9' and the long hand points to '12,' it means '9 AM.'

Read the first number to determine the hour. A digital clock consists of two numbers separated by a colon. The first number represents the hour.

• For example, if the first number displayed is '2,' it means the time is around 2 o'clock.

Read the second number to determine the minutes. The second number on a digital clock, shown after the colon, indicates the number of minutes within the hour.

• For example, if this number shows '11,' it means you should add 11 minutes to the hour shown before it.

Use both numbers to tell the time. Once you've read both numbers on the clock, you'll know the exact time. For instance, if the clock displays '2:11,' it means the time is 'two eleven' or 'two hours and eleven minutes.'

Determine if it's AM or PM. Some digital clocks will display AM or PM, but if yours doesn't, you'll need to remember the time of day. Morning time (AM) is from midnight until noon, and afternoon/evening time (PM) is from noon until midnight.

Learn Roman numerals. Some clocks use Roman numerals, so you'll need to learn the numbers from 1 to 12. 'I' represents 1, 'V' represents 5, and 'X' represents 10. If a smaller numeral is placed before a larger one, subtract the smaller value from the larger one. If a smaller numeral follows a larger one, simply add the smaller value to the larger one.

• 1 to 3 are written simply as 'I, II, III'.
• 4 is written as 'IV'. The numeral 'I' is subtracted from 'V' (representing 5), so this covers the numbers from 1 to 5.
• The number 5 is written as 'V,' and the numbers up to 10 are represented by adding 'I' to 'V'. 'VI' is 6, 'VII' is 7, and so on.
• The number 10 is written as 'X.' 11 and 12 are written by adding to 'X.'
• 11 is written as 'XI,' and 12 is written as 'XII.'

Read a clock without numbers. Not all clocks have numbers. Instead, they use markers to indicate the hours. Start from the top of the clock, imagining that position as 12 o'clock. Then, move to the right, counting '1, 2, 3, 4...' as you go. This will help you determine the hours represented by the markers.

Convert military time to civilian time. Some digital clocks display time in military format, but it's easy to convert it to civilian time. After noon, you'll need to do a little math to figure out the time.

• Numbers less than 10 are written with a leading zero. For example, 9:00 AM is written as '0900.'
• To convert military time, subtract '1200' from the given time. For example, 1300 minus 1200 equals 100, which means 1300 hours is 1:00 PM in civilian time.

• If you see another hand moving quickly on the clock face, that's the second hand. The second hand is typically not used to tell the time.