Time zone guides
Short, exact answers. Dates and offsets in every guide are computed live from the IANA time zone database, so they are right today.
Standards
- UTC vs GMT: the difference and which one to useUTC and GMT show the same clock, but they are not the same thing. What separates them, why GMT is wrong for UK summer times, and which to write when.6 Nov 2026
- Zulu time: what the Z means and how to convert itZulu time is UTC. Why pilots, the military and ships call it Zulu, how to read times like 1430Z, and how to turn them into your local time.3 Nov 2026
Abbreviations
- PST vs PDT: what time is it on the US West Coast?PST is UTC−8 in winter and PDT is UTC−7 in summer. Which one California uses today, when it switches, and why PT is the label to put in invites.30 Oct 2026
- EST vs EDT: which one is New York on right now?EST is UTC−5 in winter and EDT is UTC−4 in summer. Which one New York uses today, when it switches, and why ET is the safer label in invites.27 Oct 2026