diff --git a/src/commandDetails/admin/ban.ts b/src/commandDetails/admin/ban.ts
index 76187232..e79953b7 100644
--- a/src/commandDetails/admin/ban.ts
+++ b/src/commandDetails/admin/ban.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,8 @@ import {
 import { banUser } from '../../components/admin';
 import { vars } from '../../config';
 import { DEFAULT_EMBED_COLOUR } from '../../utils/embeds.js';
-import { pluralize } from '../../utils/pluralize';
+import { DurationStyle, formatDuration } from '../../utils/formatDuration.js';
+import { parseDuration } from '../../utils/parseDuration.js';
 import { CodeyUserError } from './../../codeyUserError';
 
 const NOTIF_CHANNEL_ID: string = vars.NOTIF_CHANNEL_ID;
@@ -35,10 +36,22 @@ const banExecuteCommand: SapphireMessageExecuteType = async (client, messageFrom
         'please enter a valid reason why you are banning the user.',
       );
     }
-    const days = <number>args['days'];
+    const duration = parseDuration(<string>args['duration']);
+
+    if (duration === null) {
+      throw new CodeyUserError(
+        messageFromUser,
+        'please enter a valid duration (e.g. 7d, 3h, 1h30m).',
+      );
+    }
+
+    if (duration > 7 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000) {
+      throw new CodeyUserError(messageFromUser, 'cannot purge more than 7 days of messages.');
+    }
+
     // get Guild object corresponding to server
     const guild = await client.guilds.fetch(vars.TARGET_GUILD_ID);
-    if (await banUser(guild, user, reason, days)) {
+    if (await banUser(guild, user, reason, duration)) {
       const mod = getUserFromMessage(messageFromUser);
       const banEmbed = new EmbedBuilder()
         .setTitle('Ban')
@@ -52,14 +65,19 @@ const banExecuteCommand: SapphireMessageExecuteType = async (client, messageFrom
           { name: 'Reason', value: reason },
           {
             name: 'Messages Purged',
-            value: !days ? 'None' : `Past ${days} ${pluralize('day', days)}`,
+            value: !duration ? 'None' : `Past ${formatDuration(duration, DurationStyle.Blank)}`,
           },
         ]);
       (client.channels.cache.get(NOTIF_CHANNEL_ID) as TextChannel).send({
         embeds: [banEmbed],
       });
       return `Successfully banned user ${user.tag} (id: ${user.id}) ${
-        days ? `and deleted their messages in the past ${days} ${pluralize('day', days)} ` : ``
+        duration
+          ? `and deleted their messages in the past ${formatDuration(
+              duration,
+              DurationStyle.Blank,
+            )} `
+          : ``
       }for the following reason: ${reason}`;
     } else {
       throw new CodeyUserError(
@@ -98,9 +116,10 @@ export const banCommandDetails: CodeyCommandDetails = {
       required: true,
     },
     {
-      name: 'days',
-      description: "Messages in last 'days' days from user are deleted. Default is 0 days.",
-      type: CodeyCommandOptionType.INTEGER,
+      name: 'duration',
+      description:
+        'Messages within the specified time (e.g. 1 day, 2h30m) from user are deleted. Default 0d, max 7d.',
+      type: CodeyCommandOptionType.STRING,
       required: false,
     },
   ],
diff --git a/src/components/admin.ts b/src/components/admin.ts
index f54f43d2..6d35080f 100644
--- a/src/components/admin.ts
+++ b/src/components/admin.ts
@@ -1,15 +1,20 @@
 import { Guild, User } from 'discord.js';
 import { vars } from '../config';
 import { logger } from '../logger/default';
-import { pluralize } from '../utils/pluralize';
+import { DurationStyle, formatDuration } from '../utils/formatDuration.js';
 
 const MOD_USER_ID_FOR_BAN_APPEAL: string = vars.MOD_USER_ID_FOR_BAN_APPEAL;
 
 /* Make ban message */
-const makeBanMessage = (reason: string, days?: number): string =>
+const makeBanMessage = (reason: string, duration?: number): string =>
   `
 Uh oh, you have been banned from the UW Computer Science Club server ${
-    days ? `and your messages in the past ${days} ${pluralize('day', days)} have been deleted ` : ''
+    duration
+      ? `and your messages in the past ${formatDuration(
+          duration,
+          DurationStyle.Blank,
+        )} have been deleted `
+      : ''
   }for the following reason:
 
 > ${reason}
@@ -25,12 +30,12 @@ export const banUser = async (
   guild: Guild,
   user: User,
   reason: string,
-  days?: number,
+  duration?: number,
 ): Promise<boolean> => {
   let isSuccessful = false;
   try {
     try {
-      await user.send(makeBanMessage(reason, days));
+      await user.send(makeBanMessage(reason, duration));
     } catch (err) {
       logger.error({
         event: "Can't send message to user not in server",
@@ -39,7 +44,7 @@ export const banUser = async (
     }
     await guild.members.ban(user, {
       reason: reason,
-      deleteMessageSeconds: days == null ? 0 : days * 86400,
+      deleteMessageSeconds: duration === undefined ? 0 : Math.floor(duration / 1000),
     });
     isSuccessful = true;
   } catch (err) {
diff --git a/src/utils/formatDuration.ts b/src/utils/formatDuration.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..94e51c25
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utils/formatDuration.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+/**
+ * Formats a duration in milliseconds into English text.
+ * @param duration - The duration in milliseconds
+ * @param style - The style to format the duration in
+ * @returns The formatted duration
+ */
+export const formatDuration = (duration: number, style = DurationStyle.For): string => {
+  if (duration === Infinity) return 'indefinitely';
+
+  duration = Math.round(duration / 1000);
+
+  if (duration < 0) {
+    const core = _formatDuration(-duration);
+    if (style === DurationStyle.Blank) return `negative ${core}`;
+    if (style === DurationStyle.For) return `for negative ${core}`;
+    if (style === DurationStyle.Until) return `until ${core} ago`;
+  }
+
+  if (duration === 0) {
+    if (style === DurationStyle.Blank) return 'no time';
+    if (style === DurationStyle.For) return 'for no time';
+    if (style === DurationStyle.Until) return 'until right now';
+  }
+
+  const core = _formatDuration(duration);
+  if (style === DurationStyle.Blank) return core;
+  if (style === DurationStyle.For) return `for ${core}`;
+  if (style === DurationStyle.Until) return `until ${core} from now`;
+
+  return '??';
+};
+
+function _formatDuration(duration: number): string {
+  if (duration === Infinity) return 'indefinitely';
+
+  const parts: string[] = [];
+
+  for (const [name, scale] of formatTimescales) {
+    if (duration >= scale) {
+      const amount = Math.floor(duration / scale);
+      duration %= scale;
+
+      parts.push(`${amount} ${name}${amount === 1 ? '' : 's'}`);
+    }
+  }
+
+  return parts.join(' ');
+}
+
+export enum DurationStyle {
+  Blank,
+  For,
+  Until,
+}
+
+const formatTimescales: [string, number][] = [
+  ['day', 86400],
+  ['hour', 3600],
+  ['minute', 60],
+  ['second', 1],
+];
diff --git a/src/utils/parseDuration.ts b/src/utils/parseDuration.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..517fa9b5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utils/parseDuration.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+/**
+ * Parses English text into a duration in milliseconds. Works for long for (1 day,
+ * 3 weeks 2 hours) and short form (1d, 3w2h).
+ *
+ * @param text - The text to parse
+ * @returns The duration in milliseconds or null if invalid
+ */
+export const parseDuration = (text: string): number | null => {
+  const match = text.match(
+    /^(\d+\s*w(eeks?)?\s*)?(\d+\s*d(ays?)?\s*)?(\d+\s*h((ou)?rs?)?\s*)?(\d+\s*m(in(ute)?s?)?\s*)?(\d+\s*s(ec(ond)?s?)?\s*)?$/,
+  );
+
+  if (!match) return null;
+
+  let duration = 0;
+
+  for (const [index, scale] of parseTimescales) {
+    const submatch = match[index]?.match(/\d+/);
+    if (submatch) duration += parseInt(submatch[0]) * scale;
+  }
+
+  return duration;
+};
+
+const parseTimescales = [
+  [1, 604800000],
+  [3, 86400000],
+  [5, 3600000],
+  [8, 60000],
+  [11, 1000],
+];