What Time Is Afternoon? | Definition & Use

Afternoon starts at 12 p.m. (midday) and finishes at about 5 or 6 p.m., when evening starts. However, as “afternoon” and “evening” are not precisely defined parts of the day, it’s best to clarify exactly what time you mean by “afternoon” with exact times when making plans and arrangements.

We start saying good afternoon instead of “good morning” as soon as the time reaches 12 p.m.

Evening vs afternoon

The afternoon begins at a precise time (midday), but evening does not have an exact starting time. We typically think of the evening as starting at about 5–6 p.m. and are perhaps more likely to consider 5:30 p.m. “late afternoon” rather than “early evening” if:

• It is still light outside.
• Our working day has not finished yet.

A person is perhaps more likely to greet you with “good evening” rather than “good afternoon” at about 5:30 if:

• They are welcoming you to an event starting after most people have finished work.
• You are meeting them in a restaurant for an evening meal (i.e., dinner).

What time is late afternoon?

Late afternoon is not a precisely defined part of the day. Any time between about 4 and 6 p.m. may be considered “late afternoon.” When making arrangements, we are perhaps more likely to think of 6 p.m. as “late afternoon” rather than “early evening” if we are still working at this time.

What time is early afternoon?

Early afternoon starts at midday and lasts up to about 3 p.m., but it is not a precisely defined part of the day. If we finish work at 5 p.m., we are perhaps more likely to consider 3 p.m. “midafternoon.” But if we finish at 6:30 p.m., we might consider it “early afternoon.”

What time is midafternoon?

Midafternoon is between about 3 and 4 p.m., but what we consider to be “midafternoon” may be influenced by the time of year and the length of our working day. For instance, we are perhaps more likely to think of 4 p.m. as “late afternoon” rather than “midafternoon” at a time of year when it is already getting dark at 4 p.m., or if our working day finishes at 5 p.m. rather than 6 p.m.

Frequently asked questions about afternoon

What does this afternoon mean?

This afternoon means either “later today in the afternoon” (when said in the morning), “earlier today in the afternoon” (when said in the evening), or “now” (when said when the afternoon in question is in progress).

Are you coming to the careers event this afternoon? [Speaking in the morning]

What did you think of the careers event this afternoon? [Speaking in the evening]

I’m delighted to welcome you all here this afternoon. [Speaking during the event]

On a related note, what time is afternoon sometimes depends on the context. Someone who is still at work at 6 p.m when it is light outside might consider it to be “late afternoon” rather than “early evening,” for instance.

Have you tried QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker? It will help you to pick up typos such as writing “good afternoon” as one word instead of two, for instance.

Is good afternoon capitalized?

Don’t capitalize good afternoon if you are using it as an informal salutation in an email with someone’s name (e.g. “Good afternoon, Paula.”)

You should capitalize it if it is part of a title or used as an email salutation without a name (e.g., “Good Afternoon!).

On a related note, what time is afternoon is sometimes a matter of individual perception. Someone on their way home from work at 5.30 p.m. when it’s dark outside might say “good evening” to an acquaintance they meet, for instance, while someone who is still at work at the same time, in the same town, might answer the phone with the greeting “good afternoon.”

QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker will help you to pick up capitalization errors with greetings such as “good afternoon.”

What time do you say good afternoon?

We start saying good afternoon rather than “good morning” when the time reaches 12 p.m. (midday).

What time is afternoon depends on individual perceptions, however. For instance, at the overlap between “late afternoon” and “early evening” at around 5–6 p.m., we are perhaps more likely to greet people with “good afternoon” rather than “good evening” if we are still at work or if it is still light outside.

QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker will help you to pick up typos in your texts, such as writing “good afternoon” as one word instead of two.

Is 12 p.m. afternoon?

12 p.m. is the start of the afternoon. It is a point in time that is also called “midday” or “noon” and is expressed as 12:00 in 24-hour clock. It comes one minute after 11:59 a.m.

12 a.m., on the other hand, is also called “midnight” and is expressed as 00:00 in 24-hour clock.

On a related note, what time is afternoon is often a matter of personal perception. For instance, if we are still at work and it is still light outside, we might think of 6 p.m. as “late afternoon” rather than “early evening.”

Have you tried QuillBot’s free Paraphraser? It’s great for finding alternative expressions that might improve your texts, like “12 o’clock,” “noon,” or “midday” for “12 p.m.”