Meaning & use
half an hour
Last updated
UK/ˌhɑːf ən ˈaʊ.ə/
US/ˌhæf ən ˈaʊ.ɚ/
Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
A length of time equal to thirty minutes.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase or after for and in: wait half an hour.
Patterns
- in half an hour
- for half an hour
- half an hour late
The train leaves in half an hour.
We waited for half an hour before the doctor called us in.
It takes about half an hour to bake the potatoes.
Common combinations
- in half an hour
- Dinner will be ready in half an hour.
- for half an hour
- She jogged for half an hour every morning.
- half an hour late
- The bus was half an hour late.
- every half an hour
- The shuttle runs every half an hour.
- about half an hour
- It takes about half an hour to walk to school.
Synonyms and how they differ
- thirty minutes
- Thirty minutes is more exact and slightly more formal, while half an hour sounds more natural in speech.
- half hour
- Half hour is the American, shorter variant and works well before nouns, as in a half-hour show.
- a while
- A while is vague and gives no length, but half an hour is specific.
Word family
Commonly confused: half an hour or an half hour?
half an hour vs an half hour
This is a common error; the correct form is half an hour, or a half hour, because the word after the article starts with an h that is pronounced.
Practice
Which phrase correctly states a period of thirty minutes?
Choose one answer.
Half an hour is the standard phrase. The other options break the article or plural agreement.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “half an hour”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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