Telling time · Five minutes
8:40 on a Clock
Eight forty. The long hand points to 8 and the short hand is between 8 and 9.
8:40
twenty to nine
How to read 8:40
- The short hour hand is more than halfway from the 8 to the 9.
- The long minute hand points at the 8. Count by 5s from the 12: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40. That's forty minutes past the hour.
Ways to say it
- twenty to nine
- eight forty
Where children slip
The long hand is on the 8, but that means 40 minutes, not 8. The time is 8:40, not 8:08.
The short hand looks close to the 9, so it's tempting to say 9:40. It hasn't reached the 9 yet, so the hour is still 8.
Twenty to nine is before 9 o'clock. Read as past, it would be 9:20, which is a very different time.
Morning or afternoon?
A clock with hands looks the same twice a day. 8:40 a.m. is the morning. 8:40 p.m. is the evening. There's more in the guide to a.m. and p.m.
Play with 8:40
Every question in this game has this time in it, as the answer or as one of the choices.
8:40 comes up in every question
Free to play · no signup · works on phones, tablets and computers
Keep going
8:40 questions
What does 8:40 look like on a clock?
The long hand points to 8 and the short hand is between 8 and 9.
How do you say 8:40?
Most people say twenty to nine. You'll also hear eight forty.
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