How to Tell Time on a Clock: Step-by-Step Guide & Practice Examples

Time is money. Time is of the essence. Time is, well, important, and it’s even more important as you grow up—it can help you know when to meet a friend, have dinner, or see a movie. So, how do you do it? In this article, we’ll take you through the process of telling time step-by-step. We’ll start with the basics and then move to how to read the hours and the minutes.

How to Read an Analog Clock

First, look at the number that the hour hand (the short hand) is pointing to. This is the hour. Then, look at the tick mark that the minute hand (the long hand) is pointing to. Each tick mark represents one minute (or, every large number represents a group of 5 tick marks or 5 minutes).

Section 1 of 7:

The Parts of an Analog Clock

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Hands and numbers An analog clock is circular with two or three hands and the numbers 1 through 12 around the edge. When first learning how to read a clock, it’s best to have one to reference. Here are things you’ll notice on the clock:^{[1]
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- One hand that’s very thin and moves very fast. This is called the second hand. Every time it moves, a second has gone by.
- One long hand. This is called the minute hand. Every time it moves one tick, a minute has gone by.
- One very thick hand that’s shorter than the minute hand. This is called the hour hand. Every time it moves one tick, an hour has gone by.
- The numbers 1-12 are laid out in ascending order around the clock, meaning they get bigger in numerical value as they move around the circle. Each number represents an hour of the day.^{[2]
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Time measurements and tick marks Seconds, minutes, and hours are all measures of time represented on the clock face. When reading an analog clock, here’s what you need to know:^{[3]
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- Every 60 seconds counts as 1 minute. Sixty seconds, or 1 minute, is the time it takes the second hand to move from the number 12 all the way back to 12 again. Every time the second hand shifts, 1 second has gone by.
- Every 60 minutes counts as 1 hour. Sixty minutes, or 1 hour, is the time it takes the minute hand to move from the number 12 all the way back again to 12. The clock face is divided into 60 small tick marks representing 60 minutes. Every time the minute hand shifts, 1 minute has gone by.
- Every 24 hours counts as 1 day. Twenty-four hours, or 1 day, is the time it takes the hour hand to move from the number 12 all the way back again and then around one more time. Each number on the clock represents an hour, so 2 times around the clock makes 24 hours. Every time the hour hand shifts, 1 hour has gone by.
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The direction The way the hands move around the clock to the right is called “clockwise.” The hands move from 1 to 12, counting up.^{[4]
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- If something moves to the left, say backward on a clock, it’s moving “counterclockwise.”

Section 2 of 7:

Telling Time on an Analog Clock

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Tell the hour by looking at the hour hand. The small, thick hand of the clock tells you what hour of the day it is. When reading this hand, always look at the large numbers on the clock.^{[5]
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- When the hour hand is pointed between 2 numbers, the hour of the day is always the lower number.^{[6]
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- So, if the hour hand is pointed between 5 and 6 on the clock, it's 5-something because 5 is the lower number.
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Look at the number the minute hand is pointing at to determine the minutes. The longer hand tells us the minute of the hour. Notice the little lines in between the big numbers? These represent minutes, and where the minute hand is pointed tells us this. You can tell how many minutes there are by counting each little tick as one minute, starting from the number 12.^{[7]
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- If the minute hand is between numbers, find the nearest number the hand has passed, multiply that number by 5 (because there are 5 ticks separating the numbers), and then add the number of ticks in between.^{[8]
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- For example, if the minute hand is pointed right between the 2 and the 3, multiply 2 by 5, which gives us 10. Then, count out the number of ticks it takes to get from 2 to where the hand is pointing and add this number to 10.
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Watch the second hand to see how many seconds have gone by during the minute. Some analog clocks have a third hand that’s thinner than the rest. This is the second hand and determines the number of seconds within the minute. The second hand is constantly moving, and for every full rotation it takes around the clock, the minute hand moves one tick.
- Let’s say the second hand moves from the 12 to the 6. That means 30 seconds have gone by.
- If the second hand moves one rotation around the clock, 60 seconds or 1 minute has gone by.

Section 3 of 7:

Tricks to Tell Time Faster

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Count in multiples of 5 as a shortcut to find minutes. When the minute hand is pointing at a big number on the clock, use multiples of 5 to tell how many minutes there are, as there are 5 ticks or lines between each number.
- For example, if the minute hand points directly at 3, multiply 3 by 5 to get 15. "15" is how many minutes have passed in the current hour.
- Still confused? Think of the clock like a pie and separate it into quarters. If the minute hand is on 6, half of an hour has gone by, meaning 30 minutes. If the minute hand is on 3, a quarter of the hour has gone by, meaning 15 minutes.
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Know that if the hour hand is pointed directly at a big number, it's exactly that-o'clock. When the hour hand is pointed right at a number, it’s that time exactly. For instance, if the small, thick hand is pointed directly at the number 9, it's 9 o'clock or 9:00.^{[9]
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- Pro tip: Watch as the hour hand moves slowly closer to a big number. The minute hand gets closer to the number 12. When the minute hand hits 12, the next hour starts.
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Check to see if the minute hand is pointed at 12. When the hour hand is pointed exactly at a big number on the clock, the minute hand will always be pointed directly at 12. This is because the hour changed, so the minute hand is starting over again.^{[10]
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- For instance, if the hour hand is pointed directly at 5 and the minute hand is pointed directly at 12, that means it's 5 o’clock exactly.

Section 4 of 7:

Practice Problems

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In the above example, the hour hand is pointed directly at the number 6, which means it's exactly 6 o'clock. If the hour hand is pointed exactly at 6, that means that the minute hand must be pointed directly at 12.^{[11]
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In this example, the minute hand is 2 ticks beyond the 9. So, how do we figure out how many minutes there are in this hour? First, we multiply 9 by 5 to get 45. Then, we add another 2 ticks to 45, giving us 47. We have 47 minutes in the hour.^{[12]
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In the above example, the hour hand is between 11 and 12, while the minute hand is 4 ticks beyond the 3. How do we figure out the time? First, we tell the hour of the day. Because the hour hand is between 11 and 12, we pick the lower number. This means it's 11-something o'clock. Next, we tell the minutes. The minute hand is past the 3, so multiply 3 by 5 to get 15. Then, count that the minute hand is 4 ticks from the 3, so add 4 to 15, which gives you 19. There are 19 minutes in the hour, and the hour is 11. That means the time is 11:19.

Section 5 of 7:

Types of Clocks

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There are digital and analog clocks. Digital clocks display the time in four numbers divided by a colon. The first two numbers tell the hour, while the last two tell the minutes.^{[13]
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Research source} Analog clocks are usually circular with the numbers 1 through 12 around the edge and display the time with a small hand and a big hand. The small hand tells the hour, while the big hand tells the minutes.^{[14]
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- Digital clocks are faster to read because they display the time numerically.
- Watches are also types of clocks and can be either digital, analog, or both.

Section 6 of 7:

Time Words

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Review these common time-telling expressions. When reading a clock, there are a few words and phrases you should know:^{[15]
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- “A quarter to”: This means the number of minutes is 45 and there are 15 minutes till the next hour. For example, if it’s 2:45, you could say it’s “a quarter to 3.”
- “A quarter past”: This means the number of minutes is 15 and there are 45 minutes till the next hour. For instance, if it’s 12:15, you might say it’s “a quarter past 12.”
- “Half past”: This means the number of minutes is 30 and there are 30 minutes left in the hour. For example, if it’s 1:30, you can say it’s “half past 1.”

Section 7 of 7:

FAQs

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When telling time, you want to read the hour hand first. Think of it the same way as reading a digital clock. Start by determining the hour, and then move on to the minutes.
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How do you know if it’s AM or PM? If noon (or lunchtime) has not come yet, the time is AM. If it’s after noon (or after 12:00 PM), the time is PM. In other words, the first half of the day is AM, and the second half is PM.^{[16]
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- This is usually easier to determine on digital clocks, as most display a PM or AM in the upper or lower right-hand corner.
- AM stands for “ante meridiem,” which is Latin for midday.
- PM stands for “post meridiem,” which means after midday.
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What is military time? Military time uses a 24-hour system rather than a 12-hour system. The hours go from 1 to 24, eliminating the need to use AM and PM. This time system is used in the military and other operations that function around the clock.^{[17]
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- After noon, military time continues chronologically. For instance, 1 PM is 1300 hours, 2 PM is 1400 hours, and 3 PM is 1500 hours.
- 12 AM or midnight is 0000 or zero hundred hours.

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How many minutes does it take the hour hand to complete a rotation?

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It moves from one number to the next in 60 minutes, then multiply that by 12 numbers, and you get 720. So, it takes 720 minutes for a complete rotation, which is 12 hours.

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How do you tell the minutes?

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There are 60 minutes in an hour. There are 5 tick marks in between each number on the clock. Each one is one minute. If the long minute hand is pointed at the 3, that means it is 15 minutes past the hour. At the 4, it is 20 past the hour and so on. I am sure there are plenty of online videos and worksheets to help you.

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If it's 10 minutes till 12 o'clock, how would that look on a clock?

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The short hand, or hour hand, would be between the 11 and the 12, while the long hand, or minute hand, would be exactly on the 10.

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Some clocks may have a hand that ticks every second that looks kind of like the minute hand and it also passes 60 clicks each time around the clock. The only difference is that it measures seconds, not minutes, and you can tell the difference by how fast it moves.

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Elementary school teacher Courtney Copriviza recommends teaching kids how to tell time with hands-on activities. Give them real clocks to hold or print-outs of clocks to color in.

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A good tip to remember which hand on an analog clock is the longest: the longest hand is the minute hand, and the word "minute" is also longer than the word "hour."

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