Telling time · Half past

9:30 on a Clock

Half past nine. The long hand points to 6 and the short hand is halfway between 9 and 10.

A clock showing 9:30123456789101112

9:30

half past nine

How to read 9:30

  • The short hour hand is halfway between the 9 and the 10.
  • The long minute hand points at the 6. Count by 5s from the 12: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30. That's thirty minutes past the hour.

Ways to say it

  • half past nine
  • nine thirty

Where children slip

Swapping the hands

If you mix up the hands, this clock looks like 6:45. The short hand always gives the hour.

Reading the number under the long hand

The long hand is on the 6, but that means 30 minutes, not 6. The time is 9:30, not 9:06.

Reading the hour too late

The short hand looks close to the 10, so it's tempting to say 10:30. It hasn't reached the 10 yet, so the hour is still 9.

What comes after 9:30

WhenTime
5 minutes later9:35
15 minutes later9:45
Half an hour later10:00
One hour later10:30
Minutes until 10 o'clock30

Morning or afternoon?

A clock with hands looks the same twice a day. 9:30 a.m. is the morning. 9:30 p.m. is night time. There's more in the guide to a.m. and p.m.

Play with 9:30

Every question in this game has this time in it, as the answer or as one of the choices.

9:30 comes up in every question

Free to play · no signup · works on phones, tablets and computers

Open the game full screen

Quick quiz: no game, just clocks

9:30 questions

What does 9:30 look like on a clock?

The long hand points to 6 and the short hand is halfway between 9 and 10.

How do you say 9:30?

Most people say half past nine. You'll also hear nine thirty.

Is the telling time game really free?

Yes. The whole game plays free in your browser, with no signup, no ads and no time limit. An iPhone app is on the way with offline play, a forest trail and a parent view, but the web game stays free.

Coming soon to iPhone

We're building a Clockwood app with what needs a real app: every time read aloud, offline play, and a parent view of which times have stuck and which are still tricky. The full game stays free here on the web.

Coming soon on theApp Store