Time

What is a Week?

The week equals 7 days and is the standard cycle for work schedules, school terms, and weekly publications.

Overview

The week equals exactly 7 days and is the standard cycle for work schedules, school terms, weekly publications, and modern social rhythms. Unlike other time units, the week has no astronomical basis — it is a cultural construct whose seven-day length is rooted in ancient Mesopotamian observation of the seven 'planets' (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) and was firmly established in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic religious traditions. The Roman Empire formalized the seven-day week in the 4th century AD, and it has remained globally dominant. The week relates to the day (7 days = 1 week), the month (about 4.345 weeks = 1 month average), and the year (52.14 weeks = 1 year). Work-week conventions vary by country: the standard Monday-Friday week is common in Western nations, Sunday-Thursday in much of the Middle East.

Symbol
wk
Category
Time
Plural
weeks

Convert Week to all units

Live result
wk
Second604,800 sMillisecond604,800,000 msMinute10,080 minHour168 hDay7 dMonth0.229984 moYear0.019165 yrDecade0.001916 decCentury0.000192 c

Relationship to Other Time Units

1 wk equals

Visual reference for how the week relates to other time units. Each row links to the full converter for that pair.

1 wk=604,800 s1 wk=604,800,000 ms1 wk=10,080 min1 wk=168 h1 wk=7 d1 wk=0.229984 mo1 wk=0.019165 yr1 wk=0.001916 dec1 wk=0.000192 c

When Is the Week Used?

  • Weekly schedules, pay cycles, delivery windows
  • Pregnancy tracking (measured in weeks)
  • Project management sprints
Real-world examples

UK workweek: Mon–Fri. US payroll cycle often biweekly. Pregnancy duration: 40 weeks.

Tips for Using the Week

  • 1 week = 7 days = 168 hours.
  • ISO 8601 week numbering standardises "Week 01 of Year" internationally.
  • Some cultures start week on Sunday, others on Monday — check locale.

Common Mistakes

  • Assuming week starts on Sunday in Europe — most of Europe starts Monday.
  • Mixing fiscal weeks (e.g. 4-4-5 accounting) with calendar weeks.
  • Using "week" in science without specifying Julian or Gregorian basis — rarely matters but can.

Convert Week to Other Time Units

Week to Second
1 wk = 604,800 s
Week to Millisecond
1 wk = 604,800,000 ms
Week to Minute
1 wk = 10,080 min
Week to Hour
1 wk = 168 h
Week to Day
1 wk = 7 d
Week to Month
1 wk = 0.229984 mo
Week to Year
1 wk = 0.019165 yr
Week to Decade
1 wk = 0.001916 dec
Week to Century
1 wk = 0.000192 c

Convert Other Units to Week

Second to Week
1 s = 0.000001653 wk
Millisecond to Week
1 ms = 1.653 × 10^-9 wk
Minute to Week
1 min = 0.00009921 wk
Hour to Week
1 h = 0.005952 wk
Day to Week
1 d = 0.142857 wk
Month to Week
1 mo = 4.348125 wk
Year to Week
1 yr = 52.178571 wk
Decade to Week
1 dec = 521.78571 wk
Century to Week
1 c = 5,217.8571 wk

FAQ About the Week

3 questions
What does the Week (wk) measure?
The week measures time. The week equals 7 days and is the standard cycle for work schedules, school terms, and weekly publications.
When is the Week used?
The week is used in: Weekly schedules, pay cycles, delivery windows; Pregnancy tracking (measured in weeks); Project management sprints. UK workweek: Mon–Fri. US payroll cycle often biweekly. Pregnancy duration: 40 weeks.
How accurate are conversions involving the Week?
All conversions on Units Converter use NIST SP 811 and BIPM reference values, accurate to 8 significant figures.