Ever wonder how to make word problems easier to solve? Here are some keywords:
Addition
- Sum
- Total
- Altogether
- In all
- Combined
- Increase
- Plus
- Added to
- More than
Example: “There are 12 apples and 8 oranges. How many fruits are there in all?”
Subtraction
- Difference
- Left
- Fewer than
- Less than
- Subtracted from
- Decrease
- Take away
- Minus
- How many more/less?
Example: “Sara has 15 candies, and she gave 7 to her friend. How many does she have left?”
Multiplication
- Product
- Times
- Multiplied by
- Of (e.g., “half of”)
- Twice, thrice
- Each (when referring to groups)
- In total (when repeated addition is implied)
Example: “A box has 6 rows of 5 chocolates. How many chocolates are there in total?”
Division
- Quotient
- Divided by
- Equal parts
- Per
- Out of
- Average
- Ratio
- Split/shared equally
Example: “There are 24 candies, and 6 friends want to share them equally. How many candies does each friend get?”