A reader recently asked whether to write “noon” or “12:00 pm” or “12 Noon” on an agenda for a meeting.
Answer
The short answer is that although there is nothing wrong with “noon,” I recommend using “12:00 pm,” for the sake of clarity and consistency. The other times listed on your agenda will presumably be written with numbers followed by “am” or “pm” (9:00 am, 10:15 am, 1:30 pm, etc.), and it will be easier to understand if “12:00 pm” is written the same way, especially on an agenda that includes a beginning and an end time for each item, as in this example:
10:45 am – 12:00 pm Presentation on new business development
On the general subject of how to write times, there are lots of other variables that confuse people. For example, all of the following are acceptable ways to write 11:30 in the morning:
11:30 am
11:30 AM
11:30 A.M.
11:30 a.m.
11:30am
In addition, when writing the times 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, etc., it is perfectly acceptable to omit the zeroes and write 1 pm, 2 pm, instead.
Finally, note that while in the US we use a 12-hour clock, some countries use a 24-hour clock, or military time. Therefore, one hour past noon is 1:00 pm on a 12-hour clock, but 13:00 using a 24-hour clock.
