How to tell the time is something that most people learn by the age of seven.
Despite this, it seems many people are still unclear on the true meaning of two of the most basic terms – ‘am’ and ‘pm’.
Confused X users have flooded the platform to discuss the topic, with one claiming ‘my mind just exploded’.
The debate was sparked by X user @IAMTOINEJ, who tweeted: ‘I might be called stupid after this but wtf does “AM” & “PM” Stand for ??’
The tweet has been viewed over 21 million times, with thousands of users giving their best guesses in the comments.
‘After midnight and past midnight,’ one user suggested.
Another wrote: ‘In my mind, at morning and past morning,’ while one simply said: ‘Literally never thought about it and just learned today.’
So, do you know what ‘am’ and ‘pm’ really stand for?
How to tell the time is something that most people learn by the age of seven. Despite this, it seems many people are still unclear on the true meaning of two of the most basic terms – ‘am’ and ‘pm’
The debate was sparked by X user @IAMTOINEJ, who tweeted: ‘I might be called stupid after this but wtf does “AM” & “PM” Stand for ??’
One confused social media user simply said: ‘Literally never thought about it and just learned today’
The 12-hour clock divides the 24-hour day into two periods.
‘Am’ is the time before noon, and stands for ‘ante meridium’.
This is a Latin phrase that transtlate to ‘before midday’.
‘Pm’, meanwhile, is the time after noon, and stands for ‘post meridiem’, or ‘after midday’.
Where this can cause some confusion is when it comes to 12 o’clock.
‘”Noon” means “midday” or 12 o’clock during the day. “Midnight” refers to 12 o’clock during the night. Simple right?’ Royal Museums Greenwich said.
‘Well, maybe not, especially if you’re using a 12-hour clock.’
When most people say ’12pm’, typically they’re talking about the middle of the day.
One user suggested that ‘am’ and ‘pm’ stand for ‘after midnight’ and ‘past midnight’
‘In my mind, at morning and past morning,’ one user tweeted
Confused X users have flooded the platform to discuss the topic, with one claiming ‘my mind just exploded
In contrast, when they say ’12am’, they normally mean midnight.
However, neither of these are technically right.
‘Noon is neither “ante” (am) nor “post” (pm) meridiem. Midnight is also neither am nor pm,’ Royal Museums Greenwich explained.
To avoid any confusion, the experts advise simply saying ’12 noon’ or ’12 midnight’ instead.
‘Alternatively, you could use the 24-hour clock system, where 12:00 is noon and 00:00 (or 24:00) is midnight,’ they added.
