Learn to Read the Clock
Drag the hands of a real-looking clock, see the time in words, switch between 12- and 24-hour time, then test yourself with read-and-set quizzes and an elapsed-time calculator.
On a clock, the short hand shows the hour and the long hand shows the minutes. Each number stands for 5 minutes, so the minute hand pointing at 3 means 15 minutes. Up to 30 minutes we say past the hour, after that we say minutes to the next hour. To get 24-hour time, add 12 to a PM hour: 4:30 PM is 16:30.
Drag a hand, tap the clock face to point the minute hand, or use the arrow keys.
Set the time
Clock helpers
Try an example
How to read this clock
Read the clock
Look at the clock and pick the right time. 10 questions per round.
Keyboard: press 1–4 to answer, Enter to check or go to the next question.
Well done!
Review your answers
| # | Correct time | Your answer | Result |
|---|
Elapsed time
How long from one time to another — or when will it end?
Count on with jumps
Jump to the next full hour, then whole hours, then the minutes left.
Step-by-step working
Telling time made simple
Move the hands and watch the digital time and the words change together — the fastest way to connect an analog clock with what we say out loud.
Drag the hands
Turn the long minute hand and the short hour hand moves with it, just like a real clock.
Read it three ways
See the time as digits, in words (“quarter past three”) and in 24-hour form.
Play the quizzes
Read the clock or set the clock at five levels, from o’clock to the exact minute.
Work out elapsed time
Find how long something took — or when it will end — with jumps on a time line.
The two hands
The short hand shows the hour and the long hand shows the minutes. The clock face has 12 numbers and 60 small marks.
The minute hand moves 1 mark every minute, so each number stands for 5 minutes: pointing at 4 means 4 × 5 = 20 minutes.
“Past” and “to”
- Minute hand on the right side (up to 30 minutes) → say past the hour: 7:20 is “twenty past seven”.
- On the left side → say minutes to the next hour: 7:40 is “twenty to eight”.
- 15 minutes = quarter, 30 minutes = half: 7:45 is “quarter to eight”.
12-hour and 24-hour time
AM runs from midnight to noon, PM from noon to midnight. To change PM time to 24-hour time, add 12 to the hour: 4:30 PM → 16:30.
12:00 noon stays 12:00, and 12:00 midnight becomes 00:00. Indian Railways tickets and airline boarding passes use 24-hour time.
Finding elapsed time
Count on in jumps: 9:40 AM → 10:00 AM is 20 min, 10:00 AM → 1:00 PM is 3 h, 1:00 PM → 1:25 PM is 25 min.
Add the jumps: 20 min + 3 h + 25 min = 3 h 45 min
Learn to Read the Clock — your questions
How do I teach a child to read a clock?
Start with the two hands: the short one is the hour and the long one the minutes. Teach o'clock first, then half past, then quarter past and quarter to, then five-minute steps, and only finally the exact minute. Because each number is 5 minutes apart, counting in fives round the face is the key skill.
When do you say past and when do you say to?
When the minute hand is on the right-hand side of the clock, up to 30 minutes, say past the hour, so 7:20 is twenty past seven. Once it passes 30 and moves down the left-hand side, say the minutes remaining to the next hour, so 7:40 is twenty to eight and 7:45 is quarter to eight.
How do I convert 12-hour time to 24-hour time?
Add 12 to any PM hour, so 4:30 PM becomes 16:30 and 9:15 PM becomes 21:15. AM hours stay the same but take a leading zero, so 7:05 AM is 07:05. Two special cases: 12:00 noon stays 12:00, and 12:00 midnight becomes 00:00. Indian Railways tickets and boarding passes use 24-hour time.
What do AM and PM mean?
AM covers the twelve hours from midnight to noon and PM the twelve hours from noon to midnight. They come from the Latin ante meridiem, before midday, and post meridiem, after midday. School usually starts in the AM and ends in the PM, and the 24-hour clock avoids the confusion altogether.
How do I calculate elapsed time between two times?
Count on in easy jumps instead of subtracting. From 9:40 AM to 1:25 PM: jump 20 minutes to reach 10:00 AM, then 3 hours to reach 1:00 PM, then 25 minutes to reach 1:25 PM. Add the jumps: 20 minutes + 3 hours + 25 minutes = 3 hours 45 minutes.
Why does the hour hand sit between two numbers?
Because it moves a little every minute, not in jumps. At 3:30 the hour hand is exactly halfway between 3 and 4, and at 3:50 it is almost on the 4. Children often read that as four o'clock, so the rule is to name the number the short hand has already passed, which is still 3.