Time (HH:MM 24-hour)
Match times in 24-hour HH:MM format with valid hour and minute ranges.
What Is This?
This regex pattern validates time strings in 24-hour HH:MM format. Hours range from 00 to 23 (validated via (?:[01]\d|2[0-3])) and minutes range from 00 to 59 (validated via [0-5]\d). The colon is required as the separator.
How to Use This Pattern
Pattern
^(?:[01]\d|2[0-3]):[0-5]\d$
^(?:[01]\d|2[0-3]):[0-5]\d$
Usage
Use this pattern for time input validation in forms, scheduling applications, and log parsers. For 12-hour time with AM/PM, a different pattern is needed. The 24-hour format avoids AM/PM ambiguity and is the international standard for time representation.
Examples
Matches: 00:00, 12:30, 23:59, 08:05, 14:00. Non-matches: 24:00, 12:60, 12:00 AM, 12-30, 2:00
Matches: 00:01, 09:09, 22:22. Non-matches: 25:00, 00:99, abc:def, 12:00:00
Related Entries
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Match dates in ISO 8601 YYYY-MM-DD format with basic month and day validation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I add optional seconds (HH:MM:SS)?
Extend the pattern to: ^(?:[01]\d|2[0-3]):[0-5]\d:[0-5]\d$. For ISO 8601 duration formats, combine with date patterns for full datetime validation.
Should I store times in 24-hour or 12-hour format?
Store times in 24-hour format (HH:MM or HH:MM:SS) internally and convert to 12-hour with AM/PM for display only. 24-hour format avoids ambiguity and sorts correctly.