Correct Abbreviation For "Hour" - Is It "h", "hr", or "hrs"?

When using “hour” as a unit of measurement, you might be interested to learn a few ways to abbreviate it (or symbolize it). This article will explain all you need to know about it to help you figure it out.

What Is The Correct Abbreviation For “Hour”?

The correct abbreviation for “hour” is “hr” because it’s a singular form. An abbreviation is a condensed spelling that refers to the same unit without changing the meaning. If you want a unit of measurement for “hour,” a simple “h” would suffice.

If you are referring to a single “hour,” you can use the abbreviation like so:

I’m going to be one hr.
It’s 1 hr until I’m there.
1 hr later.

What Is The Correct Abbreviation For “Hours”?

“Hours” can be abbreviated to “hrs.” We can use this form to show that the plural of “hours” is being used. Again, this is only an abbreviation, which allows us to use a short form of “hours.” The unit of measurement would still be “h” if using the plural form.

The plural form looks like this:

I will be 3 hrs.
It’s going to be 5 hrs.
I’ll be there in six hrs.

Is It Correct To Use “h” As The Abbreviation For “Hour”?

“H” is not correct as an abbreviation for “hour.” Instead, it is correct as the unit for “hour.” We use this when we are specifically referring to the unit, meaning the exact number of hours we’re referring to when using it as a total number.

Since “h” is the symbol for “hour,” you might find it works in the following ways:

10 h
16 h
13 h

As you can see, we place a space between the number and “h” when using it in this way. This helps us to establish how the number and unit interact with each other.

Is It “hr” Or “hr.”?

Sometimes, abbreviations will include a period after the letters. This only applies in certain instances, and “hr” is not one of them.

We use “hr” without the period. The only time the period will come after it is if we include it at the end of the sentence (where the period would fall organically anyway).

According to Google Ngram Viewer, “hr” is the most popular choice of the two. This shows that the period is not necessary when we want to use the abbreviation for the singular form of “hour.”

Correct: I’ll be there in one hr if that’s okay?
Incorrect: I think it only takes an hr., but I’m not entirely sure about it.

Is It “hrs” Or “hrs.”?

We only use “hrs” again because the period is not required after the abbreviation of “hrs.” The plural form still does not require the period ending (unless we include it at the end of a sentence).

According to Google Ngram Viewer, “hrs” is the only correct form. This shows that we should use it without the period, as the period does not add anything to help with one’s understanding of what we’re talking about.

Correct: I’ll give you three hrs to get this done, but that’s all I’m able to offer you.
Incorrect: I won’t be there for another six hrs., so please make yourself comfortable in my absence.

When Is It Appropriate To Use The Abbreviation For “Hour”?

Finally, let’s go over when the most appropriate times to use abbreviations are. Obviously, you’re not going to want to use them in most formal cases since most people think of abbreviations as lazy.

You can abbreviate “hour” when writing informally, no matter what situation you’re in. It’s most common to use abbreviations like this in text messages. You might also be able to use it formally when providing information quickly to someone who needs to know.

If you’re writing “hrs” or “hr” in a text message, it’s likely that you’ll use other abbreviations as well. It depends on the context of the text message, but many native speakers stick to using smaller words to keep their messages short (and easier to type out quickly).

I’ll b there in 2 hrs.

As you can see, “be” is also shortened to just “b.”

You have two hrs.

Here, we could use it in a slightly more formal sense to show that there’s pressure on someone to get a task done in two hrs.