Writing times correctly - is 4pm or 4:00pm correct?

5 Mar 2012

It's actually a trick question, neither are correct.

The correct answer is either 4 p.m. or 4:00 p.m.

Whichever of those styles you prefer, there should be a space between the time and the "a.m." or "p.m." that follows.

I personally prefer the abridged 4 p.m. option, instead of including the zeroes (or zeros!).

In stories here, many people seem to be dropping both the periods and the space: "It was 4pm when..."

This is technically incorrect, but in common usage.

A sample of various style guides recommend the following:

The Associated Press Stylebook:
4 p.m.

Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications:
4 P.M.

The Chicago Manual of Style and Garner's Modern American Usage:
4 p.m. or 4 PM (with PM in small capitals)

The Gregg Reference Manual:
4 p.m. or 4 P.M. (with PM in small capitals)

It doesn't put me off in the slightest seeing times as 10pm, 6am etc in stories, and it's certainly not grounds for rejecting a story.

How do you prefer to write the time? As long as people are consistent in their style, it's fine by me.

5 Mar 2012

or then there is military time... 1600. smile

You can’t truly call yourself peaceful unless you are capable of violence. If you’re not capable of violence, you’re not peaceful. You’re harmless.

5 Mar 2012

i like to put it all together....4pm or 4:30pm no idea why but thats how i usually do it.

5 Mar 2012

it can just be said as 'four in the afternoon' too... Or if you want to be even fancier it could be 'four in the early evening'. I think the way I usually write it though would be 4pm I never really thought of how to write it until now.

5 Mar 2012

I'm a stickler for AP style in my own writing, but it doesn't bother me (anymore) when others deviate. I must be mellowing. Shhh

Maggie R

5 Mar 2012

Quote by magnificent1rascal
it doesn't bother me (anymore) when others deviate. I must be mellowing.

And then there was one!

5 Mar 2012

I always use military time, then there's no bother i.e 0400hrs or 1600 hrs. No problem

5 Mar 2012

Quote by unicorn92
it can just be said as 'four in the afternoon' too... Or if you want to be even fancier it could be 'four in the early evening'. I think the way I usually write it though would be 4pm I never really thought of how to write it until now.

Not just could be, should be. We are supposed to be writing literature, not technical reports, so no unnecessary abbreviations or figures should ever appear in the text. Of course there are exceptions:
He looked at the bedside clock and saw with some amusement that it said 4:32. Rolling over towards her he thought, 'One. Go,' and pushed into her again.

News of ALL my novels (and where to get free copies) via charmbrights@yahoo.co.uk

5 Mar 2012

Very true charmbrights.

I went through 2 stories yesterday which stipulated the time in such a fashion, "we met at 5pm."

I thought to myself, I've been writing time in such a fashion too in the last few years. It didn't look right, so I decided to look up how you're meant to write it (if using that form).

Are you sure?