Interactive Analog Clock

Use the interactive clock below to see how to tell time on an analog clock. Drag the hands to see the time in a digital format, or set the time using the form below the clock.

Analog Clock 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Grab to move the hour hand Grab to move the minute hand Time 00:00

Set Clock Time

How to Read an Analog Clock

Analog clocks have a face with numbers and hands that move to indicate hours, minutes, and sometimes seconds. Unlike digital clocks, analog clocks do not display the time using numbers, you need to read the position or rotation of the hands to see the time.

Parts of an Analog Clock

An analog clock consists of these parts:

  • Clock Face: The circular part of the clock with numbers from 1 to 12 or twelve tick marks.
  • Hour Hand: The shorter hand that moves slowly to show the hour.
  • Minute Hand: The longer hand that moves faster to show the minutes.
  • Second Hand (Optional): A thin hand that moves the fastest, showing the seconds.

Steps to Read a Clock

You can follow a few easy steps to read the time on an analog clock.

Step One: Look at the Hour Hand

Find the shorter hand on the clock; this is the hour hand.

analog clock face with an arrow showing the hour hand

See which number the hour hand is pointing to. This tells you the current hour.

If the hour hand is pointing between two numbers, then the smaller number is the current hour.

Step Two: Look at the Minute Hand

Find the longer hand on the clock; this is the minute hand.

analog clock face with an arrow showing the minute hand

Count how many numbers it has passed from the top (sometimes called the 12 o’clock position).

Each number or large tick mark represents 5 minutes, so:

1 = 5 minutes, 2 = 10 minutes, 3 = 15 minutes, 4 = 20 minutes, and so on.

Multiply the number the minute hand is pointing to by 5 to find the minutes.

Step Three: Combine the Hour and Minutes

The next step is to write the hour first and then the minutes, separating them with a colon (:).

For example, if the hour hand is on 3 and the minute hand is on 4, the time is 3:20.

Step Four: Check the Second Hand (Optional)

If the clock has a second hand, look at where it is pointing to count the seconds.

analog clock face with an arrow showing the second hand

Just like the minute hand, each number represents 5 seconds. So, multiply the number the second hand is on by 5 to find the seconds.

You can use the interactive analog clock above to see the time on the clock and test your skills!

Math Calculators